After being traded to the Thunder at last season’s trade deadline, Kanter stepped right in and averaged 18.7 points on 57 percent shooting and 11.0 rebounds in 31 minutes.
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The Oklahoma City Thunder are matching the $70 million offer sheet to center Enes Kanter by the Portland Trail Blazers, ensuring that they keep the 23-year-old, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Presti had been very direct in saying he wanted to re-sign Kanter, a restricted free agent. His cap number under the current structure will look much less restrictive in the coming seasons as the salary cap increases and the idea was clearly to show that OKC is willing to pay to keep its talent. He also has a solid post game which could bring another dimension to Oklahoma City’s attack if he continues to hone it. The concerns about the Turkish center come on the other end, where he proved to be one of the worst defenders at his position.
Oklahoma City feels enormous pressure to show star Kevin Durant a strong commitment to winning in the final year of his contract, and Kanter is an important part of the Thunder’s nucleus.
Did I mention that Kanter had attitude problems in Utah, as well? At the five there would be Kanter and Steven Adams in rotation – they can play for offense or defense – plus they have Mitch McGary behind them.
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Including his career-high 30-point effort on April 1 vs Dallas, Kanter scored 20 or more points in 12 of his 26 appearances this past season with the Thunder. With him on the bench, they outscored opponents by 2.3. And they still had a awful defensive rating of 107.5 per 100 when Kanter and Ibaka were paired.
