22 months ago, former UNLV forward Anthony Bennett was the top overall pick in the NBA Draft. Now, in the fastest fall from grace since Lindsay Lohan, Bennett has been let go of by his third NBA team.
According to a report by Shams Charania of The Vertical on Monday, Bennett has been waived by the Toronto Raptors to make room for veteran forward Jason Thompson.
The Toronto Raptors are waiving forward Anthony Bennett to sign veteran Jason Thompson for the season, league sources tell The Vertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 29, 2016
Bennett, 22, only mustered 1.5 points per game and 1.2 rebounds per game in 4.4 minutes per game over 19 appearances for the Raptors this season.
He was selected No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2013 NBA Draft. But Bennett’s time there was plagued by injuries, conditioning issues, and general ineffectiveness before he was traded to the Timberwolves as part of the Andrew Wiggins-for-Kevin Love deal. He wasn’t much better in Minnesota, playing in just 57 forgettable games before being bought out in late 2015. The Canadian never got things going after signing with his hometown Raptors either, being relegated to virtually no role despite a lack of power forward depth in Toronto.
At this point, Bennett probably needs to land on a rebuilding team that can afford to give him the playing time he needs to reestablish his value. That situation could come with the Phoenix Suns who Charania also reports could look into Bennett after he clears waivers. But if he ultimately can’t find that ideal scenario, the sad reality for Bennett is that his NBA days may be seriously numbered.
