Enes Kanter Rumors: Bulls Expected to Be Interested in Free-Agent Center

The Chicago Bulls are reportedly one of the teams expected to show interest in center Enes Kanter in free agency, according to SNY.tv's Ian Begley.

Kanter split last season between the New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers, finishing with averages of 13.7 points and 9.8 rebounds in 67 games while shooting 54.9 percent from the field.

The 27-year-old veteran may be poised to land with his fifth different team in the past six seasons after previous stints with the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Knicks and Blazers.

With Jusuf Nurkic out because of injury, Kanter was a key player during Portland's run to the Western Conference Finals last season, as he averaged 11.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 16 playoff games. That likely helped raise his stock on the open market.

Enes Kanter Reel

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Chicago could be a solid landing spot for the 2011 No. 3 overall pick since the Bulls are in dire need of frontcourt depth.

They landed frontcourt players in the first round of the 2017 and 2018 NBA drafts in power forward Lauri Markkanen and center Wendell Carter Jr. Both have shown a great deal of potential thus far, but Cristiano Felicio is the only other frontcourt player under contract.

Chicago is loaded with up-and-coming talent elsewhere. Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn and 2019 first-round pick Coby White are set to lead the backcourt, and Otto Porter Jr. should be a stalwart at small forward.

Signing Kanter would give the Bulls a quality duo at center, with Kanter providing offensive punch and Carter bringing plenty of defensive ability.

Carter averaged 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a rookie last season, but a thumb injury limited him to 44 contests. The presence of Kanter would allow the Bulls to take a cautious approach with the Duke product.

Although the Bulls had the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference last season at 22-60, there is reason for optimism if their young players progress as hoped.

Kanter brings a much-needed veteran presence to the table, and with career averages of 11.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, he has the type of consistent production Chicago needs in the paint.