Why Extending Cole Anthony Could Be Smart Business By Orlando

In just over a month, the deadline to extend players from the 2020 NBA draft class expires, which means for some teams, it’s time to make some tough decisions.

Cole Anthony of the Orlando Magic is one with his immediate future hanging in the balance, as trade rumors persists around him, and no extension agreement having been reached him and Orlando.

However, even if Orlando is disinclined to wish to retain Anthony, an extension might just make sense anyway.

Unless Orlando is looking to move Anthony before the season – which they might, but haven’t so far – odds are strong he’ll play for Orlando this season, and enter restricted free agency next summer.

By signing Anthony to an extension now, it affords Orlando the opportunity to trade him next summer, as his contract will trigger on July 1st, and thus won’t linger in restricted free agency purgatory.

It allows the Magic to immediately move off of him, even in a larger consolidation package, without having to go through a prolonged process where other teams can bid on his services.

(It also helps Orlando to lock him in if he should explode and become an outright star this season, but that’s admittedly one of the lesser realistic scenarios.)

Orlando is looking to advance forward in their rebuilding process, and that means the time to make a move is soon upon them. Franz Wagner is extension eligible after next season, and the year after that, it’s Paolo Banchero’s turn.

Eventually, the Magic will become an expensive team, but before doing so, they’ll need to make a push for outside help, which they can add to their core, in order to create a winning product.

Anthony, while not a star, should have some intrigue. He’s not only of the better rebounding guards in the NBA, he can also create his own look, and set up teammates. His 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 25.9 minutes may look modest, but as a player projected to become a long-term sixth man, he should have on-court value.

Orlando have bigger fish to fry than Anthony, as stated above, meaning retaining a future sixth man isn’t high on their list of priorities.

Contractually, locking up Anthony to three years of guaranteed money in the range of the Non-Tax MLE (roughly $12.5 million per year) would make him trade eligible by July 1st, and it would help Orlando to build a package where the receiving team is getting a young player in return, who isn’t a free agent anytime soon.

Essentially, by extending Anthony, Orlando controls his future. If they don’t, Anthony could just accept the extended qualifying offer (which Orlando needs to offer to even turn him into a restricted free agent in the first place), and leave after his fifth year.

Or, if Orlando just outright relinquish their rights to him, they’ll get nothing in return as he heads into the free agent market as an unrestricted free agent.

Neither of those alternatives sound appealing, particularly if Anthony has interest around the league, and could be used as an important inclusion in a larger trade.

Of course, there’s risk involved.

A major injury would kill his trade value, leaving Orlando in a situation they’re all too familiar with in regards to Jonathan Isaac. Or, Anthony could have a rough season, leaving him as a less desirable player for teams around the league.

It’s thus up to the Magic to gauge how they wish to play this. Are they fine losing Anthony for nothing? Would they prefer to go the restricted free agency purgatory route to get him as cheap as possible? Or are they interested in including him in a larger trade framework?

If Anthony is considered unappealing to the Magic to the point where they don’t even wish to have him on the roster for this season, then a trade as soon as possible would be beneficial to both parties.

And yet, even if Anthony lands elsewhere, the point remains. Extending him now to fair money could be an asset. Whether it’s Anthony outplaying the value of his earnings, or if it’s a team using him as a trade piece, it does provide them with options.

In short, it seems there are more reasons to try to extend Anthony, than not to.

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.