Phoenix Suns Waive Guard Cole Anthony
Just three weeks after acquiring him at the trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns have waived guard Cole Anthony. The quick reversal highlights the fluid nature of roster management for teams jockeying for position ahead of the playoffs.
The Phoenix Suns' acquisition of Cole Anthony was part of a larger trade with the Milwaukee Bucks that also brought guard Amir Coffey to Phoenix. In exchange, the Suns sent center Nick Richards and forward Nigel Hayes-Davis to the Bucks. A primary driver for the trade was financial, as moving Nick Richards' $5 million salary helped the Suns get under the luxury tax threshold. This move provides the team with greater financial flexibility and helps them avoid repeater tax penalties. Anthony, the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, was in his sixth season. Before the trade, he was averaging 6.7 points and 3.5 assists in 15.1 minutes per game for the Bucks this season. Despite being acquired by the Suns, Anthony never played a game for the team and was listed as "not with the team" in recent games leading up to being waived. The move to waive Anthony opens up a roster spot for the Suns. This is widely expected to be used to convert two-way contract guard Jamaree Bouyea to a standard NBA contract. Because he was waived before March 1st, Anthony is eligible to sign with another team and participate in the playoffs. Reports suggest there is interest in Anthony from other NBA teams for a potential 10-day or rest-of-season contract, as well as from teams overseas.
