The Lakers expressed interest on Thursday in New Orleans forward Ryan Anderson. Photo by Steve McCrank/Staff Photographer

New Orleans power forward Ryan Anderson left the Beverly Wilshire on Friday afternoon after having a meeting with the Toronto Raptors. The location seemed fitting considering the Lakers are interested in Anderson, too.

Last season, Anderson averaged 16.5 points off the bench (ranked second among reserves) and made 36.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. The 6-foot-10 Anderson would also give the Lakers added versatility to take advantage of the modern NBA that Lakers coach Luke Walton hopes to implement from his time with the Golden State Warriors.

Anderson will likely command a max contract after making $17 million last season. Although the Lakers have enough money to sign two max players, it is not currently clear how much they would pay Anderson. Should Anderson land with the Lakers, it would become an easy transition considering he recently bought a house in Hermosa Beach, sources said.

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Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter and on Facebook. E-mail him at mark.medina@langnews.com