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If he were to become available in a buyout scenario, the Boston Celtics are believed to be among the teams that would be interested in acquiring New York Knicks big man Enes Kanter.
ESPN's Ian Begley shared the news ahead of Thursday afternoon's trade deadline, noting the opinion of opposing executives:
Opposing executives believe the Boston Celtics will be among the teams with interest in Enes Kanter if/when the Knicks big man parts ways with NYK.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) February 7, 2019
Kanter would be a fine addition for most teams, especially those looking for a versatile big. The 26-year-old has made 44 appearances with the Knicks this season (23 starts), racking up averages of 14.0 points on 53.6 percent shooting from the field (31.8 percent from beyond the arc), 10.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 25.6 minutes per outing.
Some players get upset when their name is tossed about in trade discussion, but Kanter seems to be accepting of the news.
“I gave New York everything I had,” Kanter told the New York Post after Tuesday’s 105-92 loss to the Detroit Pistons, as if his time with the Knicks were already over.
If the Knicks are not able to trade Kanter for an expiring contract and a draft pick before Thursday's 3:00 p.m. ET deadline, he's expected to be waived or bought out.
“I’ll probably speak to [my agent Thursday] and the next day and see what’s going to come up,“ Kanter told The New York Post. “If nothing happens, at the deadline, I’ll go sit down and talk to them and see what’s going on. Because I don’t want to leave on bad terms. This organization gave me so much. I just want to leave on good terms with everybody.”
Exactly where Kanter will land next remains to be seen, but it sounds like the Celtics are keeping a keen eye on the situation.
