Alan Anderson is planning to opt out of the second year of his contract with the Nets and test free agency next month, a league source confirmed Tuesday night.
Anderson, 31, came to the Nets as a free agent last summer after spending parts of the previous two seasons with Toronto and became a dependable option within coach Jason Kidd’s rotation, giving the team a tough-minded defender who was capable of knocking down an open 3-pointer.
Anderson played in 78 regular-season games, averaging 7.2 points and shooting 34 percent from 3-point range in 22 minutes a game, before averaging 5.9 points in the postseason, appearing in all 12 playoff games.
Kidd’s decision to replace Shaun Livingston in the starting lineup with Anderson for Games 6 and 7 against Toronto was arguably the difference in the series, as the Raptors failed to adjust to the presence of an extra 3-point shooter on the floor.
Opting out doesn’t preclude Anderson from re-signing with the Nets, and in fact could net him a raise. If Anderson chooses to re-sign with the Nets this summer, even on the same one-year deal with a player option, he could re-sign for 120 percent of what he made last season. He could also get a piece — or all — of the team’s mini mid-level exception, which is worth a little more than $3 million and allows players to be signed for up to three seasons.