The Utah Jazz should keep an eye out on the Cole Anthony situation

The Utah Jazz may not land a superstar, but they may still need a genuine starter at point guard.

The Orlando Magic made the move to draft Cole Anthony in the 2020 NBA Draft and since then he’s been…let’s say fine. He’s losing his spot likely due to the team keeping Markelle Fultz and Jalen Suggs, making Anthony the odd man out. He’s going to become a bit more expensive to retain after this season, and it sounds like the Magic want to recoup something for him before his deal expires at the end of the year.

According to Bleacher Report, one player-agent has gone on to say that they expect him to be traded, possibly before the start of the season.

If the Magic are really out on Anthony, then the Utah Jazz should go and get him as soon as possible. The Jazz need a stable guy at point guard and while Anthony’s a bit uneven, he’s got a higher than-league-average true-shooting percentage, and he’s a positive in both offensive and defensive box plus-minus.

He’s not perfect, but he’s an obvious upgrade over the likes of Talen Horton-Tucker and Kris Dunn. With 30+ minutes, he can average 16 points, 6 assists, and five rebounds, a nice compliment to guys like Lauri Markkanen.

He’s not great from three, and at times he’s struggled from inside the three-point arc, but he’s young, has shown the ability to improve, and has the defensive attributes to be helpful on defense, not just a net-neutral guy.

Does Anthony make the Jazz a powerhouse to win the NBA title? Likely not, but does he give the Jazz a stabe-lish guard who can help get the franchise to Keyonte George? Yes.

It all comes down to what the Magic want for him, and what Anthony wants in a new contract. Anything around $15-$17 million per year is doable, and a protected first-rounder that the Jazz owns outright should be more than enough to facilitate this deal.