Sixers Bring Justin Anderson Back on a Two-Year Deal
The Philadelphia 76ers have signed veteran guard Justin Anderson to a two-year deal, according to Kyle Neubeck of The PhillyVoice. Per the report, the first year of Anderson's contract is partially guaranteed. However, the second year is not.
The 27-year-old guard returns to Philly for the second time in his five-year career. After getting selected 21st overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks, Anderson spent nearly two full seasons with the Mavs in a minor role coming off the bench.
After appearing in 51 games for Dallas during the 2016-2017 season, Dallas traded Anderson to the Sixers along with Andrew Bogut and a first-round pick in the deal that landed the Mavericks Nerlens Noel.
With the Sixers, Anderson put up his best numbers on the back-end of the 2016-2017 season. He appeared in 24 games, averaging just over 20 minutes on the court. During that time, Anderson put up a career-high of 8.5 points-per-game, 4.0 rebounds-per-game, and 1.4 assists-per-game, all while shooting 46-percent from the field.
Anderson remained on board with the Sixers the following season for 38 games. After that, Philly included Anderson in a three-way trade, including the Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Anderson ended up in Atlanta after the deal.
After stints with the Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, and several G League teams, Anderson is back in Philly fighting for a roster spot with the 76ers. While his partially guaranteed contract indicates he has a better shot at cracking the final roster this winter -- the veteran guard still needs to put on a strong performance to earn his spot in training camp.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
