Should Miami Heat Have Interest in Anthony Bennett?

As the Miami Heat prepare for the start of camp, a sudden blip may or may not have appeared on their radar.

On Tuesday, Yahoo! Sports reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves and former first overall pick Anthony Bennett reached an agreement on a contract buyout, allowing the forward to become an unrestricted free agent, should he pass through waivers.

Bennett, as you’ll recall, was part of the trade that also sent 2014 number one pick Andrew Wiggins from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Wolves in exchange for Kevin Love. While Wiggins has started showing flashes of the talent many expected, the same certainly can’t be said for Bennett.

Former number one picks don’t usually become available this close to the start of training camp, especially one just drafted two summers ago, but Bennett hasn’t been able to find any success since coming to the NBA. Of course, the former UNLV product wasn’t really projected to go first overall, but good decisions and the Cavs don’t often go hand-and-hand. Bennett wasn’t projected by many to go in the top-six picks of the lottery, falling to number eight to the Pistons, according to Draft Express. And while the Cavs already had Tristan Thompson on the roster, the Cavs felt reaching for Bennett was the wise choice.

Naturally.

Things just haven’t worked out for Bennett, but is it the player, or the system around him? You could argue that Cleveland and Minnesota just weren’t the teams that could help mold a young player, whether it be player fit or team structure. While star talents like Wiggins and Kyrie Irving were able to blossom, high picks like Bennett and Dion Waiters struggled to find their way with those teams.

But can he be salvaged? Can’t really say no. With nightly averages like 4.2 points, and 3 rebounds, in 12.8 minutes while with the Cavs, Bennett saw a slight uptick when he joined the Wolves (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, in 15.7 minutes). His field goal percentage also increased from 36% to 42% in his second season. Extend last season’s numbers over 36 minutes of action, Bennett’s numbers jump to 12 points and 8.7 rebounds, which is nice value off the bench. He did well for Team Canada in International play, finishing the FIBA Americas with 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 16.8 minutes a game, while shooting 58% from the field.

So how do the Heat fit in? Not really well, at the moment. The roster is currently at 15 players, so Miami would have to release or trade a player to open up a spot. Small forward James Ennis is a logical candidate, as he’s another player struggling to get his feet under him in the NBA and his contract isn’t fully guaranteed until October 28th. There’s always Mario Chalmers, who has had non-existent stop trade rumors swirling around him and would also clear up a place on the roster if he were moved. Not to mention Bennett still has to clear waivers – the Blazers and Sixers have been rumored to have interest in him, and both have cap space to add his $5.8 million deal should they just want to claim him.

But could Bennett even be worth a spot to the Heat? Sure. Miami already has backup power forward minutes allotted to Josh McRoberts and Amar’e Stoudemire, so playing time might not be available. However, McRoberts is coming off an injury, while Stoudemire is going to be handled with caution, as his history of knee injuries need to be monitored. Getting 70 games and/or 20 minutes a night out of Stoudemire is a lot to ask for, so having a big body to help on the glass for stretches isn’t the worst idea. Maybe having a spot on a veteran team with goals of a deep playoff run might be enough to light a fire under Bennett.

Bennett won’t be a game-changer for the Heat, but it doesn’t hurt to kick the tires on young talent. Besides, last time the Heat picked up a former Cavalier first pick, they helped make him a better player.