Where Does Magic PG Cole Anthony Rank Among 2024 Free Agents?
The Orlando Magic has a ton of young talent for their future, especially in the backcourt.
Starting point guard Markelle Fultz, 25, is the oldest member of the young talent and he's coming off the best season of his career: 14.0 points (51.4 percent shooting), 5.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. However, he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.
Behind Fultz is 23-year-old Cole Anthony, who averaged a solid 13.0 points (45.4 percent shooting), 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game off the bench last season.
Despite the dependable numbers, he'll have a decrease in minutes as combo guard Jalen Suggs and rookie sixth overall pick Anthony Black will get an increase. Anthony will become a restricted free agent at the end of next season, meaning he could be on the move.
Bleacher Report ranked the top-30 projected free agents for 2024. Anthony landed at the 24th spot.
"He can be a change-of-pace guard who gets shots and buckets up in a hurry and changes the complexion of a game with a hot streak right when his team needs it," Bleacher Report writes. "In a contract year that happens to coincide with the Magic potentially being ready to push for a play-in spot, teams around the league will take notice."
Teams took notice of Anthony throughout his early career and we'll likely go after him in free agency in 2024, even with the expected minutes decline.
Starting all 65 of his appearances in 2021, Anthony led the Magic in scoring (16.3), while also dishing out 5.7 assists and pulling down 5.4 rebounds per game. He suffered an oblique injury early last season, but when he returned, Orlando decided to give him the sixth-man role.
Regardless of the number of minutes he'll play next season, Anthony believes he can find ways to improve his game this summer.
"I wanna really work on my footwork this summer," Anthony said. "I've watched dudes like Jalen Brunson, that's been a dude I've been a big fan of the past couple years, just has tremendous footwork."
No matter where he plays after next season, his age combined with his talent makes him a great candidate for any team.
You can follow Hunter De Siver on Twitter @HunterDeSiver.
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