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2022 Free Agents - Enes Kanter

Summary
After struggling to contribute with the Celtics in the '19-'20 season, Kanter was traded to Portland and had somewhat gotten back to his usual level of contribution in the '20-'21 season. However, he was only able to get a minimum contract from Boston in 2021, and is clearly a minimum player now.

The biggest issue for Kanter has always been his defensive deficiencies, as Kanter is infamously one of the last players you want defending out in space, as his lack of lateral quickness makes it hard for him to defend anyone. He also doesn't have the size, athleticism, or defensive instincts to be any sort of rim protector.

Kanter rebounds really well on both ends of the court, which is his main skill. Despite having nice touch, he actually has shot below average at the rim for each of the past four seasons, per Cleaning the Glass, and those percentages cratered even further in '21-'22. Before this past season, Kanter was able to hit enough short-midrange shots to have an above-average eFG%, but he was well below average in '21-'22.

As his offensive game no longer can overshadow his defensive issues, it's hard to keep Kanter on the court.
 
Cap Considerations
Kanter was waived by the Rockets during the '21-'22 season after being traded from Boston.

Teams will have multiple ways to sign Kanter as even teams without cap space could possibly use any of the Non-Taxpayer MLE, Taxpayer MLE, or the Room MLE or Bi-Annual Exception to sign him. It's also likely that Kanter only gets minimum offers, and may not even get fully-guaranteed offers.

Potential Teams: Hornets, Suns, Raptors, Bulls, Nuggets

Predicted Contract: 1-year, $2.9 million (non-guaranteed) with the Hornets

Last updated: 6/5/2022

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