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In his first season with the New York Knicks, Enes Kanter has quickly become a major contributor and key piece of the team.
However, there is a looming contract situation hanging overhead as he has the decision to make next summer with an $18.4 million player option for next season. It is something that Kanter stated that he will deal with when the time comes, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
“It's always on your mind,” Kanter told the Daily News. “But the season is going really well right now. It's just a contract. I think people worry about it too much and it gets into their head.
“People think about it too much and then it affects them, it affects their game, it affects their whole team. When the season is over, that's the time to think about it.”
The 25-year-old is experiencing one of his most productive campaigns averaging 13.8 points on a career-high 59.6 percent shooting from the field and a team-best 10.5 rebounds per contest while starting in all 31 games that he has played. He is just a game removed from his best performance of the season with a season-high 31 points and tied a career-best with 22 rebounds.
Kanter joined Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Bob Lanier as the only players in league history with a 30-20 game on Christmas. He also has 15 double-doubles this season with four 20-point, 10-rebound games.
If he continues to play at a high level, it would likely push him to lean toward opting out of the final year of his deal. Keep in mind, Kanter has already voiced that he wants to stay in New York beyond this season.
