NBA execs expect Celtics to be interested in Enes Kanter
The Boston Celtics did not add anybody to their roster by Thursday’s trade deadline, but C’s president of basketball operations Danny Ainge could have an eye on recently released big man Enes Kanter, according to ESPN.
Cut loose by the Knicks yesterday, the 26-year-old Kanter hits the open market after 44 games with New York this season, and having averaged 14 points and 10.5 rebounds while playing just 25:38 per night for the Knicks.
#Mecca 🗽🙏 pic.twitter.com/cMHUtMLb2T
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) February 7, 2019
Though a largely subpar defender, the 6-foot-11 Kanter would certainly fit a need for a Celts team that currently ranks 16th in the NBA in team rebounding and is short on natural centers, and could definitely help the Celtics combat some of the problems that can come with Toronto’s acquisition of the 7-foot-1 Marc Gasol.
Ainge noted that he has already reached out to the reps of a few of those waived after the trade deadline.
Ainge says the team has reached out to representatives to a few players waived today to fill Boston’s now open roster spot. Says he’s unsure how much interest there will be given how deep Boston is.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) February 8, 2019
And it’s also worth mentioning that the Celtics did free up a roster spot on Thursday, trading troubled guard Jabari Bird, who has remained away from the team all season due to personal reasons stemming from a domestic violence incident last September, to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick.