The Phoenix Suns have waived guard Cole Anthony, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The 25-year-old Anthony signed a one-year, $2.7 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks last July. He played in 35 games and averaged 6.7 points on 42.4 percent shooting (30.6 percent from three), 3.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per contest.
On Feb. 5, the Bucks traded Anthony and Amir Coffey to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team deal that also included the Chicago Bulls. Anthony did not make an appearance for Phoenix.
Anthony played one season (2019-20) with UNC before the Orlando Magic selected him 15th overall in the 2020 NBA draft. The 6’2″ guard spent five seasons with Orlando, and his most productive campaign occurred in 2021-22, when he averaged 16.3 points, 5.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds over 65 starts.
However, Anthony’s playing time decreased during the rest of his Magic tenure, with his minutes per game going down to 25.9, 22.4 and then 18.4 in his final Orlando season.
He did sign a three-year, $39 million contract extension with the Magic in Oct. 2023. However, the Magic traded Anthony to the Memphis Grizzlies last June in a larger deal that brought Desmond Bane to Orlando.
The Grizzlies waived Anthony on July 12, but he wasn’t without a team for long when the Bucks signed him four days later.
Anthony may not be without a team for too long. He’s a capable scorer at his best, which he showcased numerous times this year (e.g. 23 points and seven assists in 26 minutes against the Toronto Raptors, 16 points in 18 minutes against the Portland Trail Blazers).
Anthony is certainly well-traveled of late, though, as he could be on his fifth franchise in about nine months after playing for just one in five seasons.
