Oklahoma City Thunder Trade Rumors: Enes Kanter on the Trading Block?
Enes Kanter is a gifted scorer. He's a player who can consistently score in double figures even if he plays in just over 20 minutes a game. So how come he isn't playing more? Well, he's really bad on the defensive end.
No matter how efficient he was on offense, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a hard time giving him extended minutes because he's a liability on defense. There's even a viral clip that seems to show Thunder head coach Billy Donovan saying they "can't play Kanter" after the center made a mistake while defending the pick-and-roll during their playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
Changes have to be made if the Thunder want to get through the first-round of the playoffs next season and the Oklahoman's Berry Tramel believes the team will try to trade Kanter this summer to address their other needs on the roster.
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"So of course the roster will undergo changes — big changes, if Presti has his way. Kanter absolutely is on the trading block, not because the Thunder has grown disenchanted with Enes the Menace, but because he's got some value (remember, 33.1 points per 100 possessions played) and OKC is overstocked on big men. The Thunder absolutely is in the market for a backup point guard. And literally every team in the league covets versatile wings," Tramel said in his report.
Since the Thunder don't have the salary cap space to go after the top free agents this summer, they will have to improve their roster through trades.
Trading Kanter is certainly an option and teams that are searching for a low post scorer will probably give him a long look. After all, this is a player who will probably average more than 20 points a game if he's given starter minutes. They will just have to play him alongside a good interior defender.
