Kings sign veteran guard Peeler
Bee Sports Staff
Published 11:37 a.m. PDT Friday, August 15, 2003
The Sacramento Kings signed veteran guard Anthony Peeler to a one-year contract with a second-year option, The Bee has learned.
Peeler had spent the last six season with the Minnesota Timberwolves before being traded during the offseason along with teammate Joe Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for Sam Cassell and Ervin Johnson. The Bucks waived Peeler 10 days after the trade.
Peeler, 34, was a first-round draft choice out of Missouri by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1992 draft. He was traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1996 before being traded to the Timberwolves in 1998.
This past season Peeler played in all 82 games for Minnesota, starting 39 times. He averaged. 7.7 points per game and 3.0 assists.
"We're really excited about adding Anthony to our backcourt," said Geoff Petrie, Kings president of basketball operations.
"He's an excellent long-range shooter who will be a terrific complement to Mike (Bibby), Bobby (Jackson) and Doug (Christie). He also gives us another good ball handler as evidence by his 3-to-1 assists/turnover ratio. We feel Anthony will easily fit into our open style of play."
After enjoying a stellar four-year campaign at Missouri, Peeler was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (15th overall) of the 1992 NBA draft. He played four seasons for the Lakers, averaging double figures in points in all but his final year, when it dropped just below 10.0 ppg. His best statistical season with Los Angeles occurred during the 1993-94 campaign when he averaged 14.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 3.1 apg. Peeler was traded by the Lakers to the Vancouver Grizzlies before the start of the 1996-97 season (7/16/96). He averaged a career-high 14.5 ppg in his first season with Vancouver. Peeler was traded by the Grizzlies to Minnesota halfway through the 1997-98 campaign (2/18/98). He has amassed career averages of 10.4 ppg (.428 FG%, .378 3FG%, .795 FT%), 2.7 rpg and 2.5 apg.
Peeler has been to the playoffs eight times in his career, twice with the Lakers and six times with the Timberwolves. He averaged a career-high 16.2 ppg in five playoff games with Minnesota during the 1997-98 season.
For more details, see Saturday's Bee.
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