Rockets sign Ryan Anderson to partially guaranteed deal

The Houston Rockets are two days away from the start of training camp, and even though we thought they were done making additions, they made a move today to bring back an old face. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Rockets signed free-agent forward Ryan Anderson on Wednesday.

Anderson, 31, is returning to the Rockets after a short stint with the Miami Heat where he only appeared in 10 games last season. Prior to his time in South Beach, Anderson spent half of the 2019 season with the Phoenix Suns averaging 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.5 minutes per game.

With Russell Westbrook now on the team, bringing back Anderson could give the Rockets an extreme amount of spacing on the floor. The 6’10” sharpshooter from the University of California established himself as one of the best shooting bigs in the league and one of the originators of the stretch four.

Originally drafted in 2008 by the then New Jersey Nets, Anderson has shot a career 38.0 percent from behind the arc while averaging 12.4 points per game. The 2011-12 season proved to be Anderson’s best year, as he received Most Improved Player honors as a member of the Orlando Magic.

Anderson’s time in Houston came to a bitter end during the summer of 2018, but he played a significant role for the Rockets during his two-year stint. His best year came during the 2016-17 season where he recorded 13.6 points, 4.6 rebounds on 40% shooting from deep in 72 games. The Rockets finished the year with a 55-27 record and advanced to the second round of the playoffs that season before losing to the San Antonio Spurs.

Houston will have to release a player, as they were at the 20-player training camp max with the signing of Jaron Blossomgame. No word yet on who that may be.