Newly unrestricted free agent forward Jonathon Simmons has agreed to a three-year, $20 million deal with the Orlando Magic, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
This comes only a day after the San Antonio Spurs pulled their qualifying offer and renounced his rights, putting him back on the free agent market.
Simmons posed a well-rounded package for many teams despite of his humble averages of 6.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game during the regular season.
His main contributions were felt in the playoffs, scoring in double digits in nine of his last 10 games and averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game in a four-game playoff series against the Golden State Warriors, shooting 38.5 percent from deep in 27.8 minutes per outing.
The 6-foot-6 swingman can resemble these numbers in a team like the Magic, where he's bound to get a bigger run than in a strict methodic offense like the one the Spurs run.
Playing under MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gay would have buried his potential at the small forward position, but more importantly, the Spurs lacked the cap flexibility to make him a deserving offer, having made major strides since he first signed a two-year, $1.4 million deal with the team.
An undrafted product out of the University of Houston, Simmons once paid $150 for a tryout with the Austin Toros, the D-League affiliate of the Spurs back in 2013. Having netted a minimum two-year deal with San Antonio in 2015, he's bound to cash in on his investment big time thanks to his work ethic — a skill that has made him one of the most coveted free agents as soon as he became an unrestricted free agent.
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