Grizzlies already cutting ties with 1st-round guard acquired in Desmond Bane trade

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The Memphis Grizzlies surprised the NBA with the Desmond Bane trade.

And now, leapfrogging off that, they've made another surprising move.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Grizzlies are working with guard Cole Anthony to part ways.

Anthony was one of two players in the Bane trade, along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. They came with four first-round picks to Memphis from Orlando.

The 25-year old guard was the 15th-overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

The son of Greg Anthony spent his first five NBA seasons with the Magic. He started in 125 of his 320 Orlando games.

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Cole Anthony actually averaged double-figure scoring in each of his first four seasons before dropping to 9.4 points per game in 2024-25.

His overall career averages are 12.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, along with a 34.5% 3-point shooter.

It's a bit surprising that Memphis is getting rid of him. He seemed like a logical backup point guard to Ja Morant.

But they did need to free up some space to give Jaren Jackson Jr. a giant contract, along with Santi Aldama's re-signing.

So Anthony will soon be out on the open market, and someone can get a talented, athletic point guard in free agency soon.

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