The Minnesota Timberwolves have made some massive improvements to their roster this offseason, and even with the news that Flip Saunders will miss at least some of the season as he battles cancer, many people expect the Wolves to be pretty good. Minnesota is particularly deep in the frontcourt, so finding playing time there might be tough, and many people have assumed they would look to trade Anthony Bennett. But that may not be the case, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN.
Bennett has spent this summer playing for the Canadian national team, and he has been tremendous, showing the type of game that helped him be the first overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft. Bennett is entering his third NBA season, and after this one the Wolves have a decision to make on whether they want to pick up his fourth-year option for the 2016-17 season at more than $7 million.
The Timberwolves frontcourt currently consists of Kevin Garnett and Karl Anthony-Towns, who are the likely starters, Gorgui Dieng, Nikola Pekovic, Bennett and Adrien Payne. With six players in the frontcourt who likely deserve minutes, the Timberwolves have an overload, and because Bennett has been disappointing in his two NBA seasons, it was assumed he would be the odd man out. But owner Glen Taylor says that should not be the case. "We shouldn't assume he'd go... Anthony has had a good summer," said Taylor.
Bennett will likely go into training camp with Minnesota with an opportunity to prove he is ready to reach his potential. Bennett is an extremely talented player that has yet to put it together in the NBA, but this summer he has shown just how good he could be, and the Timberwolves see that and want to see if he can carry that into the NBA season.
Bennett is still just 22 years old, so the Timberwolves still might be able to get a good amount for him in a trade, but the most value he presents to them is on their team as he seems like a true breakout candidate heading into the 2015-16 season. In his two NBA seasons, the former UNLV Runnin' Rebel has averaged 4.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game but has shot a disappointing 39 percent from the field.
