National Basketball Association

Report: Timberwolves looking to trade Anthony Bennett

Published Jun. 22, 2015 5:03 p.m. ET

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Not too often is a former No. 1 overall pick considered a throw-in as a part of a larger deal around the NBA. However, that was the case when the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love last summer.

Now after just one season, it appears that Minnesota is prepared to move on from Bennett. ESPN's Marc Stein reports that the Timberwolves have made him available via trade in advance of the draft.

The former No. 1 pick of the Cavaliers back in 2013, Bennett averaged only 5.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for Minnesota last season. That followed a disastrous rookie campaign in Cleveland that saw the UNLV product put up just 4.2 points per game while shooting 36 percent from the field.

Although he is on the verge of becoming an all-time bust, there still might be a market for Bennett’s services. He boasts an imposing 6-foot-8, 240-pound frame and has shown some ability to step out and hit the intermediate jumper. More than that, Bennett’s frame suggests that he could act as a solid interior presence. In short, he’d be a nice low-cost, high-reward option for a team in need of depth up front.

The primary issue for Bennett throughout his short career has been conditioning, which is something he’s going to have to fix in order to shed that bust label.

In any event, this might be something to keep an eye on during the draft on Thursday. Bennett comes at a $5.8 million cap hit for the 2015-16 season with team options for the next two years.

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