Celtics trade Enes Kanter to Portland in three-team deal
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
For the second day in a row, the Celtics have traded a center off their roster, this time moving Enes Kanter to the Portland Trail Blazers in a three-team trade also involving the Memphis Grizzlies.
In the deal, as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Kanter will move to Portland, the Grizzlies will acquire forward Mario Hezonja and officially acquire the 30th overall pick from the Celtics (which was used to select TCU’s Desmond Bane), while the Celtics will receive future draft considerations from the Grizzlies.
Kanter’s departure comes one day after he officially opted in to his $5 million contract for 2020-21, and after a 2019-20 campaign featuring 8.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 58 games with the Celtics. The 6-foot-10 center was also Boston’s best big on the offensive glass, too, with his 6.0 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes ranking as the best mark among all Celtics, and substantially better than Robert Williams’ second-best (3.7 per 36 minutes).
But at least they’re sending him to a familiar place, as Kanter spent the second half of the 2018-19 season and a 16-game postseason run with the Blazers before signing with the Celtics in 2019.
With Kanter gone, and with Vicent Poirier traded on Thursday, the Celtics’ center group is now headlined by Daniel Theis and Williams. Tacko Fall, who split last year between Maine and Boston on a two-way deal, was also extended a qualifying offer.
