NBA Trade Deadline Preview: 24 trade candidates and possible deals

Enes Kanter, New York Knicks 

Likeliness to get traded: 6/10

Enes Kanter, after a recent loss to the Rockets, in which he didn’t play, said in a post-game interview:

"“If you’re going to play me here, play me. If not, then just get me out of here.”"

I can’t say that I disagree with him in that statement. Kanter is too good to be receiving DNPs. He has carved out a pretty good career for himself so far and has shown the ability to produce in the starting five or coming off the bench.

He has been known to be lacking on the defensive end at times, but his ability to score and rebound at a high level still makes him a very serviceable big man. I think his past willingness to start or come off the bench makes him valuable in a way that Gasol and Vucevic (who have started most of their career games) aren’t; teams who already have a starter at center may not feel completely unable to trade for him.

The rest of the $18 million dollar contract he has for this season might still scare some teams away from trading for him, but I think the Knicks want to get him off their books and Kanter wants to be somewhere with more consistency in their rotations. With Kanter and the Knicks’ willingness to separate, I think some type of deal gets done whether it is a trade or a buy-out.

Trade Idea: Buyout agreement after the deadline.