New York Knicks: Predicting free agents that will re-sign, but way too early

Enes Kanter

In his second season since a 2017 trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Enes Kanter has delivered another double-double campaign so far, with 14.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in 26.9 minutes.

The stats look positive at the forefront, but hardly telling of Kanter’s time with the New York Knicks in 2018-19.

Fizdale placed the Turkish center in the starting lineup to open this campaign, but fell out of favor for Mitchell Robinson after the fifth game. That resulted in public displays of displeasure, including the infamous “leading the second unit” comments. This lingered through his 12 appearances as a reserve.

This has quiet since Kanter reclaimed his starting spot, but as the Knicks continue to lose games, it may not last forever, eventually clearing the way for Robinson, again.

With a young, cheap option at center for another three years, it paints a negative picture for Kanter’s return to the Knicks. That’s along with a potentially high salary, as he makes $18.6 million on the final year of his contract. Re-signing for even a chunk of that would hurt New York’s free-agent opportunities.

Thus, it’s possible NBA fans see Kanter in another uniform in 2019-20. Like the other soon-to-be free agents, maybe the Knicks miss on other players and bring him back, but not with Robinson’s inevitable position as the man in the middle.

Prediction: Kanter leaves via free agency