The Brooklyn Nets have signed former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett to a two-year deal worth the league minimum salary. The power forward has signed with Brooklyn after playing just 19 games last season with the Toronto Raptors before being waived mid-season. Only the first year of Bennett’s deal is guaranteed.
The deal was first reported by Shams Charania of The Vertical.
Bennett averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds last season for the Raptors.
Brooklyn Nets Sign Former No. 1 Overall Pick Anthony Bennett
The Nets will be Bennett’s fourth team in four seasons, after being selected No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2013. Bennett has gained the reputation of being one of the biggest busts in NBA history. After leaving Cleveland as a part of the Kevin Love and Andrew Wiggins trade, Bennett became a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. During his one season in Cleveland, Bennett averaged just 4.2 points per game. Bennett spent one season in Minnesota, playing in 57 games but only starting three. One again, Bennett was let go, and decided to head home to Canada, to play for the Raptors. Toronto was yet another destination where Bennett failed to fulfill his potential, playing in less than 20 games for the Raptors. Bennett was waived to free up a roster spot for power forward and eight-year NBA veteran Jason Thompson.
Now, Bennett finds himself in Brooklyn, another team and another chance. Bennett earned this opportunity through his NBA D-League performances. In six D-League games last season, Bennett averaged 9.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and one steal per game. Bennett is still relatively young and can potentially have a good NBA career. The Nets don’t really have a great deal of talent on their roster, and adding Bennett is actually a smart move by Brooklyn’s general manager, Sean Marks. This is mainly because no one really knows which version of Bennett they’re going to get. The Nets could be signing the well-known, disappointing Bennett who fans will want to forget quickly, or Bennett could surprise the league and really find a home in Brooklyn, as he did in college with the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. Stability will be key to Bennett having a successful NBA career going forward.
Bennett is a solid addition to a roster that needs all the help it can get. The Nets have also recently added point guard Jeremy Lin, power forwards Trevor Booker and Luis Scola, and guard Greivis Vasquez. Brooklyn set out to land big free agents this summer, but the Nets have left their fans disappointed. Bennett and the others are a part of a solid roster that will hope to improve upon last year’s paltry total of 21 wins.
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