Anthony Bennett and the Timberwolves were reportedly talking about a buyout.
It appears the talking is done.
Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Minnesota forward Anthony Bennett has reached agreement on a contract buyout, soon to free him on waivers, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2015
Bennett will go on waivers, where three teams have enough cap room or a trade exception large enough to claim his $5,803,560 salary – the 76ers, Trail Blazers and Cavaliers. If Bennett clears waivers, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
It’ll be interesting to see how much money Bennett sacrificed for his freedom. He could have waited for the Timberwolves to waive him without a buyout and collected his full salary for this season, but by the time that happened, other teams could have filled out. Minnesota might have also kept him and buried him behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Kevin Garnett, Adreian Payne and Nemanja Bjelica.
This is a huge fall for the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Bennett hasn’t lived up to expectations – even the more moderate ones by the many outlets that ranked him around fifth in his class, let alone those by the top-picking Cavaliers. He settles for far too many long 2s, squandering his 6-foot-8 frame and athleticism.
But he’s just 22, and teams should line up to take a flyer on him on a minimum contract. Some might even offer a little more to separate themselves from all the suitors – at least if he clears waivers.
The Timberwolves now have 15 players with guaranteed salaries, making it easier to trim their roster to the regular-season limit of 15. Hope they’re happy keeping Damjan Rudez and Tayshaun Prince over Bennett.
