Toronto Raptors: Landing Spot For Anthony Bennett?

By Joshua Howe | Sep 22, 2015

Jul 21, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Canada forward Anthony Bennett (10) reacts after a dunk against the Dominican Republic in the men's basketball preliminary round during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ryerson Athletic Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Monday, it was reported by Adrian Wojnarowski that former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett is nearing an agreement on a contract buyout with the Timberwolves. This news is, and isn’t, surprising.

It is surprising because Minnesota simply isn’t going to be a good team this season. They’re a roster loaded with young guns and potential, but they’re still multiple years away from making any sort of noise in the prolific West. So why would it hurt to keep Bennett on the team, another youngin’, and hope that he can make improvements along with his teammates?

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On the other hand, the news isn’t surprising because Bennett has been simply awful over his first two seasons in the league and his one-season stint in Minny. Combine that with the fact that the T-Wolves already have enough front court players and that Bennett is getting paid more than he should ($5.8 million for the upcoming year), and this move instantly makes more sense.

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To give you an idea of how poor Bennett’s career has been so far, here are his two statistical seasons in the league:

2013-14: 4.2ppg, 3.0rpg, 0.4apg, 35.6 FG%, 24.5 3FG%, 63.8 FT%, 12.8 minutes
2014-15: 5.2ppg, 3.8rpg, 0.8apg, 0.5spg, 42.1 FG%, 30.4 3FG%, 64.1 FT%, 15.7 minutes

Here are some of the names that had similar seasons to Bennett’s last year: Ricky Ledo, JaKarr Sampson, A.J. Price, Luigi Datome.

I know a lot of you are saying, “Wait, who?” Exactly. It’s also salient to note that none of those guys are getting paid nearly as much as Bennett for the same sort of production. Of course, none of those players were No. 1 overall picks.

The problems with Bennett don’t stop with just his statistical output, either. He’s had a rough time staying on the court in his first two seasons. He played only 52 games in his first season, going scoreless for a disturbingly lengthy streak and playing out of shape due to a shoulder surgery that he’d had the summer prior.

In Minnesota, he played 57 games and hurt his ankle as well as his relationship with his coach. Needless to say, Bennett just didn’t get much floor time.

So what teams will be looking to make a jump on him? Any? Should the Toronto Raptors give it a shot?

As things stand, it’s unlikely that the Raps will acquire Bennett, despite his being a hometown kid and the fact that he played fairly well for Canada this summer in the FIBA Americans tournament.

Bennett will be placed on waivers when the agreement with Minnesota is reached, meaning that the only two teams who will be able to claim him at his current salary are Portland and Philadelphia.

It’s easy to imagine the 76ers giving Bennett a shot. Hinkie, in his never-ending conquest to rebuild via lottery, likes to take players who are low-risk, high-reward. Even if they don’t work out, hey, it doesn’t matter because the team was going to suck anyway.

If Bennett does end up in Philly, he’ll at least be in a situation with literally zero pressure (although, admittedly, there wasn’t much pressure in Minny either) and he’ll get to play with fellow Canadian Nik Stauskas, who made the move to Philly from Sacramento this summer.

If neither team claims him, then Bennett will become an unrestricted free agent and the Raptors could get in touch with him. But should they?

Honestly, I shrug at the thought. Toronto would only be able to give him the league minimum anyway, and Bennett is still just 22 years old. He’s got lots of time for improvement and, not only that, but his game should fit in well with the evolving NBA.

He’s a stretch-four (or he might be a three, it’s hard to tell) who can shoot it, he’s extremely athletic and his passing is getting better with time. He can be at least somewhat effective on a team that is built to run (like Canada’s was this summer).

For two long years Bennett has been a lost soul in the league, trying to find his way and transition his skills to the big time. As a Canadian myself I hope he finds his way, and that someday he’ll be able to quiet all of his haters.

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