:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/55720029/usa_today_10070350.0.jpg)
Multiple outlets, including The Vertical’s Sham Charania and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, reported Friday afternoon that the Orlando Magic have come to terms with free agent shooting guard Jonathon Simmons. Jabari Young of the San Antonio Express reported that the terms are 3 years, $20 million, fully guaranteed.
Simmons has been in the NBA for two seasons following several years in the D-League, averaging 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in about 18 minutes per game last season.
Simmons has been the latest surprise bench player to emerge for the San Antonio Spurs, coming out of the D-League to be an important contributor for the Western Conference juggernaut. Simmons is a strong, physical player with the ability to aggressively get to the hoop, and while he’s unlikely to solve the Magic’s shooting problems (he shot under 30% from distance last season), he should provide some much-needed toughness on the perimeter.
In all likelihood, he’ll start the season behind Terrence Ross as the backup shooting guard, hopefully providing the same hustle and athleticism for the Magic as he did for the Spurs. He’s not the most efficient player, but he generally makes good decisions and should be able to provide solid minutes when one of Ross or Evan Fournier is sitting.
Simmons seemed unlikely to be on the Magic’s radar this summer, and many widely assumed Simmons would return to the Spurs through restricted free agency. However, San Antonio rescinded his qualifying offer earlier this week, making him an unrestricted free agent.