As the NBA world is centered around Damian Lillard's trade saga, Eric Pincus has reported that the Orlando Magic are looking to move Cole Anthony at some point this season.
Anthony is a very solid rotational player in this league but it does not make sense for the team to pay him with Jalen Suggs and Markelle Fultz contracts coming up. The difference between these players and Anthony is the fact that they are able to play both guard spots.
The Magic also drafted guard Anthony Black with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. While everything is theoretical and not proven, he will certainly get a lot of minutes (maybe even starting lineup minutes) to start the season at either guard spot.
With that in mind, it might not make sense to pay an average player his worth. The Magic will look to shop Anthony for draft picks and expiring contracts which are more flexible to move in a future deal rather than a player on a veteran long-term deal.
What teams will end up trading for Cole Anthony?
Since Anthony is still on his rookie deal and is a restricted free agent next offseason, it will be very easy for the team to move him. Obviously, only some teams around the league will be interested but it will not be hard to get a deal done. Due to that fact, it's hard to narrow down which teams will try to trade for the point guard.
The Spurs would be a very good fit for Anthony. The team has a lot of picks and was looking for a point guard to pair with Victor Wembanyama. To be fair, the Spurs should wait until Wembanyama plays a sample of NBA games before they make a move. Still, after the team sees Wembanyama's passing ability in action, it might make a lot of sense to trade for Anthony.
They just cut Cameron Payne and could move Devin Vassell to a wing-backup spot for some extra minutes that he would miss with more guards in the rotation. They have a number of ways to get a deal done.
An easy way to get this deal done would be to offer Khem Birch or Cedi Osman and pick compensation. It would most likely require a protected first-round pick.
