Suns Coach Jordan Ott Explains Why Cole Anthony Hasn't Joined Team
cole anthony remains on the Phoenix Suns' 15-man roster but continues to stay away from the team as the club weighs roster depth amid recent injuries. Head coach Jordan Ott framed the delay as a function of backcourt availability and said the situation is being managed while the Suns navigate a short schedule break.
Jordan Ott on roster depth and Cole Anthony
Ott described the situation as largely unchanged: "It’s still the same, " he said, adding that injuries have influenced the team's approach and left Anthony's status "not completely out. " That explanation clarifies why the veteran guard, acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks before the trade deadline, has not been waived or integrated despite earlier expectations he might be cut.
The practical constraints are concrete. Anthony sits on the team's 15-man roster, and Phoenix is operating in a window of roster management that includes a four-day break beginning Friday. The timing matters because Sunday is the final day a player can be waived and still retain playoff eligibility for a new team; that deadline could shape when or whether the Suns formally release Anthony.
Injuries, suspensions and immediate roster consequences
Short-term availability across the roster is driving the Suns' caution. Phoenix has just returned from the All-Star break and is on the road for a Western Conference matchup in which they carry a 32-23 record. The opponent enters 38-16, underscoring the competitive stakes of any roster moves right now.
Compounding matters, Dillon Brooks was ruled out for one game after receiving his 16th technical foul, triggering a one-game suspension. That absence increases pressure on Phoenix's backcourt rotation and provides a clear cause for the team's reluctance to immediately jettison a perimeter option like Anthony. Coach Ott tied the two realities together, noting injuries as a principal factor in maintaining roster flexibility.
Possible roster mechanics: Jamaree Bouyea and two-way timing
If the Suns move forward with waiving Anthony before the Sunday cutoff, the roster implications are straightforward. Cutting Anthony would open a spot to convert two-way guard Jamaree Bouyea to a standard contract. The club could then fill Bouyea’s vacated two-way slot before the next Wednesday deadline for two-way signings, a concrete procedural timeline that the organization can use to restore depth once it is comfortable with player health and eligibility conditions.
The sequence — hold Anthony while injuries persist, potentially waive him before the Sunday waiver-deadline to protect his playoff eligibility, then promote Bouyea and back-fill a two-way slot by Wednesday — shows cause and effect in the Suns’ roster calculus. Ott’s comments indicate the team is balancing short-term competitive needs against longer-term roster construction rules.
What makes this notable is the intersection of timing and postseason rules
The broader implication is that Phoenix is prioritizing availability for immediate games over quick roster housekeeping. With key players expected to return from the All-Star break and matchups that carry playoff-consequence weight, the Suns are leaving options open rather than rushing a roster change that could cost them flexibility in the coming days.
For now, cole anthony remains away from the team, rostered but inactive, while Phoenix monitors injuries, a suspension impact and the ticking waiver deadline that will ultimately determine whether the guard joins the active rotation or becomes available on the buyout market for other playoff-eligible teams.
