Former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett will get another shot to prove his worth after he was signed by the Phoenix Suns to a non-guaranteed deal, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. The Cleveland Cavaliers surprised almost everyone when they picked the unknown Bennett as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft out of UNLV. However, the 6-foot-8 Bennett failed to live up to his billing, averaging just 4.2 points and 3.0 boards in 52 games. The Cavs got rid of Bennett the following year when they traded him, along with Andrew Wiggins, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for All-Star power forward Kevin Love.
The 24-year-old Bennett averaged 5.2 points and 3.8 boards in 57 games for the Timberwolves, who bought out his deal in the offseason. He then signed a one-year deal with his hometown team, the Toronto Raptors.
Bennett bounced around in NBA
Due to lack of playing time, Bennett asked the team to send him to the Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League, earning him the distinction of being the first No. 1 overall pick to play in the D-League. In his first game with the 905, Bennett tallied 13 points and four boards. He received thee more assignments to the D-League before he was waived in March. In 19 games with the Raptors, he averaged 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per game. The following year, the Brooklyn Nets signed him to a one-year deal.
During his stint in Brooklyn, he went up and down from the Nets to their D-League squad, the Long Island Nets.
Bennett played 23 games for the Nets, averaging 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. He signed with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball Super League where he played just 10 games. In 151 career NBA games, Bennett averaged 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.Bennett is expected to provide the Suns with frontline depth behind Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender and Josh Jackson.
Wolves sign veteran guard Aaron Brooks
The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed veteran point guard Aaron Brooks to a contract. However, the Wolves did not reveal details of the contract, per team policy. With Brooks’ signing, the Wolves will enter training camp with 17 players on their roster. Last season, the 32-year-old Brooks played for the Indiana Pacers, where he averaged 5.0 points and 1.9 assists in 13.8 minutes of action per game.
In 613 career NBA games with the Houston Rockets, Suns, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls and the Pacers, Brooks averaged 10.1 points 3.1 assists in 21.6 minutes per game. In Brooks, the Wolves will get a solid veteran playmaker who can also contribute on offense, especially with his outside shooting. Brooks is a career 37-percent shooter from beyond the arc.
