By WFAN.com
Enes Kanter is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, but he could be leaving the Knicks sooner than the summer.
The 26-year-old has been seeing fewer minutes recently for David Fizdale's team after he was a starter to begin the year. He has spoken up about his decreased involvement and may now be interested in a possible move.
According to a report from The Athletic, a few teams have inquired about Kanter, who the Knicks are apparently willing to trade. The two sides have not yet discussed a buyout.
Expiring contracts are an asset leading up to the NBA trade deadline, but there are major issues with Kanter's game that could make him undesirable to a team competing for the playoffs. He is a very poor defender, especially for someone of his size.
Kanter was mocked by Devin Booker after the Suns took advantage of his defensive inadequacies in a 128-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns on December 17. Kanter is averaging 14.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season. Trading him could allow the Knicks to focus more on developing the young talent on their roster.
The Turkish big man has also been in the news lately because of concerns over the Knicks upcoming trip to London. New York will play the Washington Wizards at the O2 Arena on January 17, but Kanter won't be in attendance. Kanter is an outspoken critic of authoritarian Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and worries for his safety. He explained why he can't go after the Knicks win over the Lakers on Friday.
"Sadly, I'm not going because of that freaking lunatic, the Turkish president," Kanter said. "It's pretty sad that all the stuff affects my career and basketball because I want to be out there and help my team win. But just because of the one lunatic guy, one maniac, one dictator, I can't even go out there and do my job. It's pretty sad ... They have a lot of spies there. I could get killed there easy."
In May of 2017, Kanter's passport was cancelled by the Turkish government while he traveled through Romania. In June of 2018, his father was arrested by the government in Turkey.
The Knicks are back in action on Monday night when they play the Portland Trailblazers.
