In the midst of rumors of a trade request, New York Knicks center Enes Kanter turned down the notion of its veracity, citing that his frustration hasn't been based around his recent benching, but rather at the team's eight straight losses.

“I did not ask for a trade, no,” Kanter said after putting up a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double in the Knicks’ 115-108 loss to the Nuggets, according to Steve Popper of Newsday. “I did not say, ‘Scott, try and trade me.’ No I did not say that. Because I like it here a lot. And I probably won’t say to Scott’s face, ‘Scott I want to get traded.’ Because I like it here a lot.

“But again, in the end, we all are competitors, basketball players, in the end I like it here so much, but again I want to win. I want this team to get to the playoffs one day. This is my blood, man, I’m sorry. If anyone asks anything else, I’m not going to do it. I’m going out there to get a win every time.”

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Kanter expressed frustration with his lack of playing time, as he's played 20, 17 and 14 minutes in each of his last three games. An end-of-the-year matchup against his former team, the Utah Jazz, turned into his first goose egg of the season, as the Turkish international went o-for-6 from the field during a 32-point loss on the road.

The Knicks are 9-29 and unlikely to reach the playoffs. That predicament makes Kanter staying with the team next season that much more difficult to envision, considering New York's lofty free agency plans and the amount of money the 6-foot-11 center would command after posting strong double-double averages in his most recent seasons.