After five years in the NBA, Cole Anthony still hasn’t played for a different club.
He was chosen by the Orlando Magic with the fifteenth overall choice in the 2020 NBA Draft.
After being dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies a few weeks ago, that will obviously change next season.
Reports indicate that the Grizzlies are interested in trading point guard Cole Anthony, thus he could be traded again soon.
Grizzlies Reportedly Looking To Trade Recently-Acquired Guard
Cole Anthony On Trade Block
It was on June 15 when Anthony learned it was time to pack his bags. He was heading to a new team after only calling just one place home in his NBA career. The Magic traded Anthonyalong with Kentavious Caldwell-Popeand multiple first round picks to the Grizzlies for Desmond Bane
If the Grizzlies had their way, Anthony might never put on that Memphis uniform, according to Marc Stein.
Stein maintained an account on Substack and wrote,
According to league insiders, the Grizzlies spent the weekend looking for a trade partner willing to absorb Cole Anthony’s salary in an effort to get out of his deal.
Anthony was acquired by the Grizzlies in the Desmond Bane trade with Orlando.
The news that Memphis is trying to unload Anthony so quickly after acquiring him is likely not surprising.
The reason behind this is that the squad already has Ja Morant and Scotty Pippen Jr. as their starting point guards.
In the backcourt, the squad has Vince Williams Jr. and the newly acquired Caldwell-Pope. Anthony inked a $39.1 million rookie extension in 2023 for three years.
In 2025–26, he will be in the midst of the second year of that contract. After that, in 2026–27, he has a $13.1 million club option.
Career-Low Playing Time Last Season
Still just 25 years old, Anthony played a few roles for the Magic during his tenure. He became a starter for the team early in his rookie year, a role he had full-time in the following season as well.
The last three seasons has seen the 6-foot-2 point guard in more of a reserve role (made 22 starts in 2024-25, just four total in the two previous years).
In his 67 outings last season, Anthony posted averages of 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 18.4 minutes. The son of former NBA player Greg Anthony shot 42.4% from the field, 35.3% from three-point range, and 82.3% from the free-throw line.
It was a career-low in minutes for him as well as the first time that he did not average double figures in scoring.
The shooting percentages from last season were fairly similar to his career shooting percentage splits of 41.9/34.5/84.7.
Anthony did have his struggles in the Magic’s five-game opening round loss to the Boston Celtics.
He averaged just 2.2 points while shooting just 4-14 from the field (0-6 on three-pointers).
There should be some type of market though for a not-so-expensive guard who at times can get hot and score in droves.
Some teams that come to mind that may be interested in Anthony’s services off the bench include the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets.
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