The San Antonio Spurs are expected to sign former Miami Heat center Joel Anthony to a training camp deal anytime soon.
Recent rumors are out that the 34-year-old free agent is on the verge of being signed by five-time NBA champions Spurs to a one-year, veteran's minimum contract and that he will be invited to join San Antonio in their training camp this month.
ESPN reported that Anthony "joined the free-agent market this offseason as the Detroit Pistons waived him July 7" after playing there for the last two seasons. Anthony was part of the Miami's back-to-back championship teams in 2012 and 2013 as a bench player.
Last season, Anthony averaged just 0.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 5.1 minutes per night in only 19 games for the Pistons, one of the lowest of his career. His best days were clearly in Miami when he averaged 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds playing in 19.4 minutes per game during the 2012 playoffs.
CBS Sports indicated that the former UNLV Runnin' Rebels standout is a veteran center that is "capable of providing some value on the defensive end" even though he had been a "deep reserve" with the Pistons in the past two years.
Should Anthony's signing push through, San Antonio will then have 19 players under contract when training camp starts. Fourteen of those players already have guaranteed deals and so Anthony is left to compete with four other players for the 15th and last roster spot this upcoming season.
Even though multi-awarded superstar Tim Duncan is already retired, Anthony is still not expected to play a lot of minutes for the Spurs this coming season should he make the team's final 15-man roster. He will be set to play a deep frontline rotation behind Pau Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dewayne Dedmon, and David Lee.
Anthony, who is already entering his tenth season in the NBA, barged into the league in 2007 with the Heat as an undrafted player. He played his first seven seasons in Miami before getting traded to the Boston Celtics in January 2014 in a three-team deal that also involved the Golden State Warriors.
He only played half a season and 21 games for the Celtics before he was eventually traded again to the Pistons before the 2014-2015 season in exchange for Will Bynum.