New Orleans Pelicans power forward Ryan Anderson. (Photo : Getty Images)
Recent rumors have emerged that the Indiana Pacers could snag Ryan Anderson from the New Orleans Pelicans this summer as the current Eastern Conference seventh seed team is looking to upgrade their starting power forward position next season.
Coming into the postseason, the no. 4 spot in head coach Frank Vogel's starting lineup is currently occupied by rookie Myles Turner, who was selected 11th overall in last year's NBA Draft.
Turner, who had just turned 20 on March 24th, is playing 23.1 minutes a night in 55 games with the Pacers so far this season. He is contributing 10.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game, but the main issue by Vogel is his inaccurate 21.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc, which is said to be vital in the team's offensive system right now.
Fansided noted that the 27-year-old Anderson could fill that need for Indiana as the veteran stretch four is one of the most reliable long-range bombers in the league right now at 36.6 percent from downtown.
Although it is not a given that Anderson will replace Turner in the Pacers' starting lineup, the NBA's 2012 Most Improved Player will not have problems coming off the bench to spell either Turner or starting center Ian Mahinmi if Vogel wants to completely go small ball with All-Star Paul George at no. 4.
The report also said that the "good thing for the Pacers is they can afford to overpay Anderson with a guy like Turner on his rookie deal, and he can still be a bench player who can teach the young Turner while remaining be a threat to score".
Anderson is in the final year of his four-year, $34 million contract with New Orleans that is earning him an average salary of $8.5 million per season. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer and there are speculations that he wants to test the free agency market this offseason when the league will experience a historic increase in salary cap because of a recent TV deal.
However, Anderson could be sidelined for the rest of the season as he is currently nursing a groin injury, as per the Advocate. If he will not be able to recover in time for the free agency period, then he may have a hard time finding teams that will express interest in his services.
