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Cavs officially sign #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett

By Brad Rowland

Jun 28, 2013; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers first round pick Anthony Bennett (center) with second round pick Carrick Felix (left) and general manager Chris Grant during a press conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2013; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers first round pick Anthony Bennett (center) with second round pick Carrick Felix (left) and general manager Chris Grant during a press conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 28, 2013; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers first round pick Anthony Bennett (center) with second round pick Carrick Felix (left) and general manager Chris Grant during a press conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 28, 2013; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers first round pick Anthony Bennett (center) with second round pick Carrick Felix (left) and general manager Chris Grant during a press conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

Contract negotiations for draft picks in the NBA certainly don’t provide the intrigue that they do in either the NFL or MLB, but the first overall selection in the 2013 NBA Draft is officially a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

According to the Associated Press, former UNLV forward Anthony Bennett officially inked his rookie contract with the Cavs, and he is set to take up his official duties with the club. League policy dictates a fairly formal salary structure for 1st-round picks, pricing themselves into a rigid deal, but as the first pick, Bennett will still be paid handsomely.

The Cavs haven’t released the official details of the deal yet, but the “max” amount that Bennett can receive (according to the CBA) is $22.8 million over 4 seasons. The only exception to this would be if Bennett exceeds expectations and can use the “Derrick Rose rule” by winning an MVP award or other top-end honors.

Acquiring quality assets on rookie deals is the best way for an NBA team to be fiscally responsible, and with Bennett along with Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving on such deals, Cleveland is in great shape going forward. It remains to be seen if Bennett can live up to the lofty expectations of his draft status (especially given his surprising arrival at #1), but he is officially an NBA player.

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