Ryan Anderson won't sign a contract extension with Orlando by Wednesday's deadline. But his agent said the hope remains that the fourth-year forward will remain long term with the Magic.
"Yeah," said agent Jeff Austin. "I think it's a great spot for him."
Austin had talked to Magic officials about a possible extension for Anderson, but the parties agreed to wait, and Anderson will become a restricted free agent next summer.
"It was a mutual decision given that he's a player on the rise and given the uncertainty of the Dwight (Howard) situation," said Austin, referring to Howard's request to be traded and the uncertain future of the Orlando roster. "I don't know if we could capture the value for (Anderson) right now. So it was a mutual decision."
Anderson, who was taken No. 21 by the Nets in 2008 and traded to the Magic in 2009, has raised his scoring average this season to 16.8 from 10.6 and has become the team's starting power forward. When Anderson becomes a restricted free agent, the Magic will be able to match any offer sheet on him.
Wednesday marked the deadline for players from the 2008 first round to sign possible extensions for after their initial deals expire. The deadline is normally Oct. 31 each year, but was pushed back because this season started late due to the lockout.
Chris Tomasson can be be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson.
