clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Timberwolves Looking to Trade Anthony Bennett?

According the Marc Stein of ESPN, the Wolves are actively shopping the former #1 overall pick.

By Eric in Madison
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">ESPN sources say that, in advance of Thursday&#39;s draft, Minnesota has made former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett available via trade</p>&mdash; Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNSteinLine/status/613038928858357760">June 22, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Wolves rumors are flying fast today, as we've already heard that they are interested in Raptor point guard Greivis Vasquez, and that they have promised Karl Towns they are drafting him on Thursday.

Now comes the unsurprising news that they are looking to trade former #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett. Following their trades for Adreian Payne and Kevin Garnett last season, it was fairly clear that they weren't high on Bennett as the power forward of the present or the future, and so it comes as no shock that they have apparently begun shopping him around the league in advance of the draft on Thursday.

Bennett has been a disappointment in his two seasons as a pro so far, his first in Cleveland, where injuries and lack of conditioning got him off to a terrible start from which he did not recover, and last season with the Wolves, where he was traded in the Kevin Love deal. He failed to show significant progress despite having a clear path toward minutes, as his tendency to float on the perimeter and his lack of focus on defense drove fans, and apparently the coaching staff, nuts.

It was not good news for him when he got hurt just after the Wolves traded for Payne, who was slated to be young competition for Bennett.

At any rate, putting together the rumors, an exchange featuring Vasquez and Bennett makes some sense, though whether Toronto is at all interested is unknown.

Meanwhile, it sounds as if the Wolves are eager to move on from Bennett and clear up a bit of the log jam that is forming in the front court. Whether they still assign significant value to him and are looking to receive an asset in return or if they just want out remains unclear.