Watching Anthony Bennett Drift Through Games - 2067 Words

Few things in the NBA have been as dispiriting over the past two years as watching Anthony Bennett drift through games like a shadow who may or may not be visible to the other players. The Wolves are in the process of cutting bait on Bennett1 with a $3.6 million buyout, putting in play a scenario in which Bennett ends up the worst no. 1 pick in league history — a status he didn’t ask for and clearly didn’t deserve. Being the â€Å"worst† pick isn’t just about that one player; it’s about the opportunity cost of picking that one player over everyone else, and it’s not as if Bennett’s 2013 draft class has blown the league away. Re-draft today, and it’s plausible — likely, actually — that Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rudy Gobert would be the top two†¦show more content†¦Love for Wiggins alone is a freaking home run, considering the history of superstar trades and Love’s desire to bolt Minny. We do know that Bennett is done after an even more miserable sophomore year in Minnesota. The Wolves will shave off some of Bennett’s $5.8 million salary for this season, and they clearly couldn’t give Bennett away. They peddled him everywhere, including to teams with cap space to absorb him in exchange for a token top-55-protected second-round pick Minnesota would never see, per several league sources. No one bit. The Wolves probably could have dumped him on Portland or Philadelphia by attaching a second-round pick, and most second-round picks aren’t worth $5.8 million. But Minnesota’s upcoming second-rounders will be high, and if Glen Taylor is willing to eat most of that $5.8 million to preserve the 37th pick, that’s good for the franchise. Knowing Philly, it’d have demanded more than one second-rounder to get him, anyway. Such a deal would have netted a nice trade exception, but a lot of those expire unused. The league knew Minnesota had 16 guaranteed contracts, one over the maximum roster ceiling, and that it needed to dump someone. But there was another option: keep Bennett, and cut someone else — likely Croatian sharpshooter Damjan Rudez. The roster is only overstocked because Minnesota felt it needed three hardened vets in Kevin Garnett, Tayshaun Prince, and Prof. Andre