Atlantic Notes: Bennett, Sixers, Celtics

Despite his Canadian roots, it would be a bad move for both parties if the Raptors were to sign forward Anthony Bennett, provided that he clears waivers, Doug Smith of The Toronto Star opines. The young forward, who reached a buyout agreement with Minnesota this week, would not be a great fit with a Toronto squad that is expected to contend in the East, and would not have time to be patient with his development, Smith notes. As for the Raptors, Smith adds that Bennett would not be an upgrade over the team’s current rotation players, which would relegate Bennett to the bench and potentially make him a distraction.

Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has indicated in the past that the team views it as a priority to add Canadian-born players to its roster, which is a major reason why the Raptors are expected to be in the mix to sign Tristan Thompson next summer if he were to hit free agency, and the franchise is being mentioned as a potential landing spot for Bennett.

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

• Sixers coach Brett Brown indicated that point guards Tony Wroten and Kendall Marshall will not be ready for the start of training camp, and that there is no exact timetable for their return to full basketball activities, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Daily News tweets. With its top two projected point guards on the shelf for the time being, Philly will enter the preseason with Isaiah Canaan, Pierre Jackson, Scottie Wilbekin, and T.J. McConnell competing at the one spot.
• Philly experienced quite a roster turnover throughout the course of the 2014/15 campaign, but Brown says this season will be different, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (via Twitter). “You are going to see more of our own,” said the Sixers coach. “You are going to see less turnover of our roster.”
• The Celtics, despite not making a major offseason acquisition, are still expected to be an improved squad this coming season, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe writes. But one issue the coaching staff will have to navigate is what the team’s most effective rotation will be, Himmelsbach notes. “I think that’s going to be a challenge for our coaching staff,” Celtics executive Danny Ainge said. “You’ll probably see a lot of different combinations through training camp scrimmages and in exhibition games and see who plays best together. It’s not always the best players, but the players that play the best together. We have a lot of different options, especially in the frontcourt. I’m anxious to see how that all plays out.”
• Himmelsbach recently participated in our interview series, “The Beat.” You can read his thoughts on a number of topics relating to the Celtics here.