Knicks Trade Rumors: NY Looking to Move Enes Kanter Before Deadline
The New York Knicks turned heads Thursday by trading away Kristaps Porzingis in a seven-player deal, but they are apparently not done making moves.
According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the Knicks will try to trade away center Enes Kanter before the Feb. 7 deadline.
Kanter is averaging 14.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game this season, but he has fallen out of the rotation recently for the Knicks.
The 26-year-old played nine minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, which was only his second appearance in the team's last nine games. Meanwhile, the team has lost 11 games in a row to fall to 10-40, the worst record in the NBA.
Unsurprisingly, Kanter hasn't appreciated being left on the bench.
"I want to play basketball," he said last week, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. "If you’re going to play me here, play me. Or if not, then just get me out of here."
The Knicks seem happy to lose to improve their draft stock, while his impending free agency keeps roster space open to sign big-name free agents in the offseason. He is owed $18.6 million this season—the final year of his four-year deal—but the organization doesn't seem to mind as long as the future flexibility remains intact.
Still, Kanter has averaged a double-double in each of the past two seasons and can be an impact player for a contending team going forward this year.
If New York finds the right deal, it could benefit everyone involved.
