Orlando Magic PG Cole Anthony 'Not Worried' About Contract Extension

Cole Anthony is entering the final season of his rookie contract with the Orlando Magic.
In this story:

ORLANDO - The upcoming season is arguably the biggest of Orlando Magic point guard Cole Anthony's career up until this point.

Anthony is entering his fourth season with the Magic after being the No. 15 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. This year, Anthony is playing out the final year of his contract before becoming a restricted free agent this summer. But even with the uncertainty of his future, Anthony has bigger fish to fry at the moment.

"I'm not worried about that," Anthony said. "I'm just worried about, you know, getting ready for training camp."

Anthony, 23, averaged 13 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists mostly in a reserve role last season, but he proved himself to still play a key role for the Magic.

Cole Anthony
Orlando Magic point guard Cole Anthony / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

However, Anthony will have to compete to retain his role during training camp after the Magic drafted Anthony Black with the No. 6 pick in this year's draft. Markelle Fultz is also competing at the point guard position for minutes, and he's also facing free agency at season's end.

While players have a tendency to shine when the lights are brightest, it doesn't appear Anthony is taking his contract year into account as he prepares for the season. Anthony's focus is to get the Magic to the playoffs, where he hasn't been before.

If Orlando can take the next step in its development, Anthony hopes that the rest will take care of itself in due time. And besides, if the Magic makes the postseason and Anthony is part of the reason behind that, an extension will likely be in the cards this time next year.


Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.