Anthony Bennett (basketball)

Bennett was one of thirteen players invited to the green room for the 2013 NBA draft, meaning he was expected to be chosen as a top lottery pick. He was selected first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the first Canadian ever.[15] The choice was met with skepticism by analysts. He drew comparisons to Larry Johnson, a former UNLV great, NBA All-Star, and number one overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft.[16]

On August 20, 2013, Bennett signed his rookie scale contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[17] After producing multiple mediocre performances to begin his rookie season, he was ranked by some as one of the worst first overall picks in recent memory.[18]

Bennett taking a free throw for the Cavaliers in October 2013

On January 28, 2014, Bennett recorded 15 points and 8 rebounds in a 100–89 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.[19] It was the first double-figure scoring game in his NBA career, coming after 33 games—three times as long as any previous No. 1 overall pick. Almost two-thirds of all previous top picks scored in double digits in their first game.[20] On February 11, 2014, Bennett recorded his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 109–99 win over the Sacramento Kings.[21] For the 2013–2014 season, he played 52 games while averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.[22]

In July 2014, Bennett joined the Cavaliers for the 2014 NBA Summer League where he averaged 13.3 points in four games.[23]

On August 23, 2014, a three-team trade was completed involving the Cavaliers, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Philadelphia 76ers. As part of the deal, Bennett and teammate Andrew Wiggins were traded to the Timberwolves, along with Thaddeus Young, then of the 76ers. The Cavaliers received Kevin Love from Minnesota while the 76ers received Luc Mbah a Moute and Alexey Shved from Minnesota and a 2015 first-round draft pick from Cleveland.[24]

On October 19, 2014, the Timberwolves exercised their third-year team option on Bennett's rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2015–16 season.[25] On November 21, 2014, he scored a career-high 20 points in a 121–92 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.[26] On February 21, 2015, he was ruled out for two weeks due to an injured right ankle he sustained the day before playing against the Phoenix Suns.[27] After recovering from the injury, Bennett appeared in just four more games to finish the 2014–2015 season. In 57 games (three starts) for the Timberwolves, he averaged career highs of 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 15.7 minutes per game.

On September 23, 2015, Bennett was waived by the Timberwolves via a contract buyout.[28]

On September 28, 2015, Bennett signed a one-year deal with his hometown Toronto Raptors.[29][30] He made his debut with them on October 30, recording three rebounds and one steal in a 113–103 win over the Boston Celtics.[31] On December 20, Bennett requested that the team send him to Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League.[32][33] He played for Raptors 905 in their game against the Delaware 87ers, recording 13 points and 4 rebounds in a 105–94 win, becoming the NBA's first No. 1 overall pick to play in the D-League.[34] He returned to Toronto later that night for their game against the Sacramento Kings.[35] He later received three more assignments to Raptors 905.[36] On March 1, 2016, he was waived by the Raptors.[37] Bennett's love for the game was questioned during his tenure in Toronto, and the organization grew increasingly frustrated with his inability to grasp the cut-throat world of the NBA despite their attempts to work with him.[38]

On July 14, 2016, Bennett signed with the Brooklyn Nets.[39] He made his debut for the Nets in their third game of the season on October 29, scoring nine points in 18 minutes off the bench in a 110–108 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[40] On November 18, he scored a season-high 12 points in a 124–105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[41] On November 27, he was assigned to Brooklyn's D-League affiliate, the Long Island Nets.[42] He was recalled by Brooklyn prior to their game later that night.[43] He was reassigned to Long Island on November 28,[44] and was recalled the next day.[45] On December 3, he made his first start of the season and had 7 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in a 112–103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.[46] On January 9, 2017, he was waived by the Nets.[47]

On January 13, 2017, Bennett signed with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Basketball Super League.[48][49] He signed with Fenerbahçe on a 1+1 contract.[50] In 10 EuroLeague games he averaged 1.2 points per game.[51] Fenerbahçe went on to win their first ever EuroLeague title in 2017, beating out Olympiacos 80–64 in the championship game. On May 25, 2017, he was released by Fenerbahçe.[52]

On September 22, 2017, Bennett signed with the Phoenix Suns.[53] On October 11, 2017, he was waived by the Suns.[54] Later that month, he joined the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA G League.[55] On November 19, 2017, he temporarily left the team to join the Canadian national team for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification.[56] He rejoined Northern Arizona on November 29.[57] On December 28, 2017, he was traded to the Maine Red Claws alongside a third round pick for the player rights of Wesley Saunders and a second round pick.[58] In October 2018, Bennett was traded to the Agua Caliente Clippers in exchange for former Warrior James Michael McAdoo and a third-round draft pick.[59]

On July 12, 2019, Bennett signed a one-year deal with the Houston Rockets. He was waived during training camp.