Anthony Bennett Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Bennett, Evans, P. Jones, Varejao

November 12th, 2017 at 2:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

After being waived by the Suns last month, Anthony Bennett is back in the G League to earn another shot at the NBA, writes Jerry Zgoda of The Star-Tribune. The top pick in the 2013 draft, Bennett had a brief and checkered career, spending a year each with the Cavaliers and Timberwolves, then partial seasons with the Raptors and Nets.

At age 24, Bennett is with the Suns’ affiliate in Northern Arizona and believes he can work his way back to the big leagues. “I guess my focus is different,” he said. “I wouldn’t say this is my last chance, but, you know, I just have to prove to everybody that I can play.”

There’s more news from the G League and overseas:

Jeremy Evans, best known as the winner of the 2012 NBA Slam Dunk contest, signed a G League contract and was claimed off waivers by the Reno Bighorns, tweets Chris Reichert of 2 Ways and 10 Days. Evans, who played five seasons for the Jazz and one with the Mavericks, was waived by the Hawks before the start of the season. He played in Russia last season.
Perry Jones III, a first-round pick in 2012, has signed a G League contract and will join the Iowa Wolves, according to Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Jones, who spent three years in Oklahoma City after the Thunder selected him with the No. 28 pick, has previous experience with the Iowa franchise, along with a one-game stay in Russia.
Brazilian center Anderson Varejao may finish his career in his home country, relays Sam Amico of AmicoHoops. Varejao, 35, had been hoping to return to the NBA, but is now considering an offer from the Flamengo team in Brazil. He was waived by the Warriors in February.

Suns Waive Anthony Bennett, Peter Jok

October 11th, 2017 at 4:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns have requested waivers on veteran forward Anthony Bennett and rookie swingman Peter Jok, the team announced today in a press release.

Bennett and Jok joined the Suns for training camp and the preseason, but neither player appeared in any of the club’s preseason contests. They’ll become unrestricted free agents if and when they clear waivers on Friday.

Jok appears to be a good candidate to join Phoenix’s G League team, the Northern Arizona Suns, as an affiliate player, though it’s not clear what the next move will be for Bennett. The former first overall pick has spent time with the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Raptors, and Nets since entering the league in 2013, but seems unlikely to begin the 2017/18 season on an NBA roster.

Phoenix now has 18 players under contract, including 14 on guaranteed deals and two on two-way contracts.

Pacific Notes: Rivers, Looney, Bennett

September 28th, 2017 at 5:34pm CST by Austin Kent

If Austin Rivers is going to silence naysayers who claim his career has been propped up by his head coach father, now is as good an opportunity as any. Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times spoke with the 25-year-old Clippers guard about life after Chris Paul.

Rivers averaged 12.0 points per game in 74 games for the Clippers last season but drove that up to 16.1 in 29 games as a starter. With Paul and shooting guard J.J. Redick no longer with the squad, he could see a lot more time as a primary scoring option.

Rivers also spoke about the rumor that Paul requested a trade because Doc Rivers, then still the president of basketball operations, refused to trade his son in an effort to bring Carmelo Anthony to the Clippers.

“I talked to him after that rumor came out, confronted him about it and he said it wasn’t coming from him or coming from his camp,” Austin said. “So we left it at that.”

There’s more from the Pacific Division:

Although the mission was to get the Kings into the postseason when he signed on with the team, head coach Dave Joerger is comfortable with and committed to the rebuild at hand, too, Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee writes.
Now down to 232 pounds, the lightest he’s been in years, 24-year-old Anthony Bennett is ready to resuscitate his career, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes. The former first-overall pick is on a non-guaranteed deal with the Suns.
The Warriors could wait until the deadline to accept Kevon Looney‘s fourth-year option, Anthony Slater of the Athletic writes. The forward has been hard-struck by injuries over the course of the past few years but could finally be ready to show potential.

Suns Sign Anthony Bennett

September 22nd, 2017 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

1:36pm: The Suns have officially signed Bennett, according to RealGM’s transactions log.

10:00am: The Suns have reached an agreement to sign former first overall pick Anthony Bennett to a contract, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Charania, Bennett’s deal with Phoenix will be non-guaranteed.

Bennett, 24, has bounced around the NBA since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavaliers in the 2013 draft. After spending his rookie season in Cleveland, Bennett was part of the trade that sent Kevin Love to the Cavs, and played for the Timberwolves in his second season. Since then, the power forward has also spent time with the Raptors and Nets, but didn’t see much action for either club. In total, he has averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 151 career NBA games (12.6 MPG).

Bennett’s most recent NBA experience came early in the 2016/17 season, when he appeared in 23 games for Brooklyn. He was waived by the Nets in January and headed to Turkey to play with Fenerbache for the rest of the season. According to Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun (Twitter link), the UNLV product battled an ankle injury over the summer, but he seems to be healthy enough now to get a look from the Suns.

Currently, the Suns are carrying 12 players on fully guaranteed contracts, which could leave an opening for Bennett to make the team’s regular season roster. However, Alex Len is expected to sign his qualifying offer soon, and would claim one of those final three spots. Derrick Jones, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, looks like a good bet to make the roster too, so Bennett may end up competing with the likes of Elijah Millsap and Peter Jok to be Phoenix’s 15th man.

And-Ones: Free Agents, D-League, Bennett, Oden

May 3rd, 2017 at 10:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Several under-the-radar players who will be free agents this summer are improving their bargaining position with their performance in the playoffs, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. He identifies six players, starting with Golden State big man JaVale McGee, who is averaging 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks through five games despite playing just 11.8 minutes per night. McGee signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Warriors for the veteran’s minimum and could be in line for a huge pay raise in July. The others that Kennedy singles out are Serge Ibaka of the Raptors, Joe Ingles of the Jazz, Nene of the Rockets, Andre Roberson of the Thunder and Deron Williams of the Cavaliers.

There’s more news from around the basketball world:

The Texas Legends, the Mavericks‘ affiliate in the D-League, have given coach Bob MacKinnon a two-year extension, tweets D-League Digest. The D-League veteran is in his first season with the Legends.
Invitations have been issued for the D-League’s Elite Mini Camp, which will be held May 8-9 in Chicago, relays Chris Reichert of FanSided. Many players have used this showcase to earn spots on summer league rosters, with alumni such as Jonathon Simmons, Hollis Thompson and DeAndre Liggins. Among the best-known names at this year’s camp will be Russ Smith, JaKarr Sampson, Ray McCallum and Cliff Alexander.
Former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, who played 23 games for the Nets this season, has been replaced on his Fenerbahce team in Turkey, according to Bugra Uzar of Eurohoops. Taking his spot on the roster is Pero Antic, who played for the Hawks from 2013 to 2015. Bennett will remain with the club and is expected to be part of the upcoming EuroLeague Final Four.
Greg Oden, another former No. 1 pick, is hoping to be part of The Basketball Tournament this summer on ESPN, relays Alysha Tsuji of USA Today. Oden’s team is called Scarlet and Gray and is made up of Ohio State alumni. “We think we’re a team that can win it,” he said. “We look at the talent we’ve had here in the last 10 years or so, and we can match up with anybody. We want the state of Ohio supporting us. We’re called Scarlet and Gray, but this team is a representation of the whole state.”

And-Ones: 2013 Draft, Bennett, Embiid

January 17th, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Cavs considered as many as six prospects for the No. 1 pick in the 2013 draft, but a number of factors led the team to pass on five of them and draft Anthony Bennett, as Sam Vecenie of The Sporting News details. Nerlens Noel and Alex Len were unable to work out for Cleveland due to injury. Otto Porter and Victor Oladipo were viewed as players with limited ceilings, which didn’t entice the team and Ben McLemore showed up to workouts overweight and unprepared, which took him out of the running for the No. 1 overall pick.

An anonymous league executive tells Vecenie that the lack of quality options at the top of the draft led the Cavs “to talk themselves into a guy they knew had flaws.”

“As they were getting down to the end, I think [GM Chris Grant] wanted to find a reason for him to be the guy,” the executive told Vecenie.

Here’s more from around the league:

One anonymous scout within the league believes the Cavs never got the full story on Bennett when they conducted their pre-draft research, Vecenie writes in the same piece. “I don’t think they got the full scoop on [Bennett],” a scout told Vecenie “UNLV’s staff would say nice things about people. They tolerate a lot. The Cavs got a rosy version of his work ethic and attitude.”
Joel Embiid has been impressive lately, though that doesn’t mean the Sixers will lift his minutes restriction this year, as Tom Moore of Calkins Media relays (Twitter link). “I don’t believe there is a possibility Embiid’s minutes increase from 28 minutes this season,” coach Brett Brown said today.
The Blazers are in the midst of a disappointing season, but they are not a candidate to tank and position themselves for a better draft choice, Mike Richman of The Oregonian argues in his latest podcast. Richman believes the team has too much talent to lose enough games to make tanking a worthwhile cause.

Anthony Bennett Signs With Turkish Club

January 12th, 2017 at 5:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Forward Anthony Bennett, who was waived by the Nets two days ago, has signed with Fenerbache Istanbul of Turkey, international journalist David Pick tweets. Fenerbache will announce the signing as early as Friday, Pick adds in a separate tweet.

Bennett’s decision to go overseas adds another twist to the saga of one of the biggest draft busts in NBA history. The 2013 No. 1 overall pick of the Cavaliers has passed through four NBA organizations, the latest being one of the league’s worst teams. The Nets parted ways with Bennett to make room for another forward, Quincy Acy.

Bennett became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday after passing through waivers.

This past off-season, Bennett signed a two-year contract deal with the Nets, including a fully-guaranteed $1MM this season. Brooklyn gave him a chance to reestablish himself, as he appeared in 23 games, including one start. He failed to make a strong enough impression while averaging 5.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 11.5 minutes.

Still just 24, Bennett has appeared in a total of 151 games for the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Raptors and Nets, averaging 4.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 12.6 minutes per contest.

Bennett’s ties with the GM of the Canadian national team, Maurizio Gherardini, led him to Fenerbahce, Pick adds. Gherardini also has an association with the Turkish team.

International Notes: Bennett, Greene, Kelly

January 11th, 2017 at 6:38pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Anthony Bennett, who was recently waived by the Nets, may head overseas to pursue his next basketball opportunity, sources tell Sam Amico of Pro Basketball Digest. Amico adds that the former No.1 overall pick is also considering the D-League as an option with an eye on signing a few 10-day contracts with NBA clubs.

Bennett flashed promise at UNLV but struggled mightily during his three stops in the NBA. Amico notes that Bennett’s poor performance during his rookie season played a role in Cleveland’s decision to fire then-GM Chris Grant during the middle of the 2013/14 campaign.

Here are a few more international updates on players with NBA ties:

Former Kings big man Donte Greene, a 2008 first-rounder who last played in 2012, has joined Puerto Rican team Capitanes de Arecibo, according to an announcement from the club (hat tip to Sportando). Greene, who turns 29 next month, said back in August that he continues to hope for one more shot from an NBA team.
Maccabi Kiryat Gat of Israel has released former Nets guard Tyshawn Taylor, according to international journalist David Pick (Twitter links). The team will use the roster spot to bring Josh Selby aboard. Selby, who was the No. 49 pick in the 2011 draft, previously played in Israel for Bnei Herzliya.
Sasha Djordjevic, the coach of Bayern Munich, is recruiting Nicolas Laprovittola to play for his team, Pick reports (Twitter link). Laprovittola was waived by the Spurs last month.
Ryan Kelly has garnered interest from Reggio Emilia, a team in Italy, but it’s unlikely he joins the club as he prefers to pursue NBA opportunities, according to Emilio Carchia of Sportando. The Hawks waived Kelly last week.

Luke Adams contributed to this post

Nets Waive Anthony Bennett, Sign Quincy Acy

January 10th, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

JANUARY 10: The Nets have officially signed Acy to a 10-day contract, the team announced today in a press release.

JANUARY 9: The Nets have requested waivers on a former first overall pick, announcing today in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Anthony Bennett. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter), the team will fill Bennett’s roster spot by signing Quincy Acy, who is currently playing for the D-League’s Texas Legends.

Bennett, who will turn 24 in March, was selected first overall in the 2013 NBA draft, but has failed to develop into a productive NBA player. In four NBA seasons, Bennett has appeared in 151 total games for the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, Raptors, and Nets, averaging 4.4 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 12.6 minutes per contest, including 5.0 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 23 games for Brooklyn this season.

This past offseason, Bennett signed a two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets that featured a guaranteed salary for the first year and a non-guaranteed salary in 2017/18. Assuming Bennett goes unclaimed, Brooklyn will be on the hook for his full 2016/17 cap hit, though the club remains well below the salary floor, so that won’t have a real impact on team salary. The former UNLV big man will become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday if he passes through waivers.

As for Acy, the veteran power forward began the season with the Mavericks, but was waived in November when backcourt injuries forced the team to add another guard. Shortly thereafter, Acy joined Dallas’ D-League affiliate. He averaged 17.3 PPG and 8.1 RPG in 12 contests for the Legends, making a strong case for an NBA call-up.

According to Stein (via Twitter), Acy will get a 10-day contract from the Nets.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 11/29/16

November 29th, 2016 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

10:35pm:

The Spurs have recalled Bryn Forbes, Nicolas Laprovittola and Dejounte Murray from their Austin affiliate, the team announced on its website.
The Nets have recalled forwards Anthony Bennett and Chris McCullough from their Long Island affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Both started Long Island’s game today and were available for Brooklyn’s game with the Clippers.
The Raptors have quickly recalled Caboclo and VanVleet, whose assignments to the D-League were noted below (Twitter link).

2:07pm:

After getting a rare shot at playing time for the Raptors on Monday night in the team’s blowout of the 76ers, Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet have been re-assigned to Raptors 905, according to Blake Murphy of Raptors Republic. As Murphy writes, the schedules for Toronto’s NBA and D-League teams overlap neatly this week, so Caboclo and VanVleet could be up and down a couple more times.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, who received some playing time on the other side of that blowout in Toronto on Monday, has been assigned to the Delaware 87ers in advance of the team’s Tuesday night contest, according to a press release issued by the Sixers. The 2016 first-rounder has appeared in 11 games for Philadelphia so far, and one for Delaware.
Former first-round pick Josh Huestis has been re-assigned to the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder announced today in a press release. Huestis has appeared in a pair of games for the D-League squad so far, averaging a modest 9.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG.