Kyrie Irving pledged to re-sign with the Celtics then even made a commercial about getting his No. 11 retired by Boston.
Enes Kanter:
☘️🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/ZDzIiheEXu
— Kerem Kanter (@KeremKanter) July 1, 2019
Ian Begley of SNY:
Enes Kanter is finalizing two-year deal with the Celtics worth $10 million, league sources tell SNY. Player option in Year 2.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 1, 2019
That looks like Kanter will get the room exception, which will be worth $9,772,350 ($4,767,000 next season, $5,005,350 the following season).
I really hope Kanter wears No. 11 for the Celtics. That’d fit his trolling persona so well.
Most importantly to Boston, he helps on the court. The Celtics badly needed a starting center after losing Al Horford to the 76ers and trading Aron Baynes to the Suns.
Kanter is a talented offensive player who’ll score inside while Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward lead the attack from the perimeter. The big question: Will Kanter hold up well enough defensively?
This is a signing worth making. But with Kanter’s defensive issues, consider this another reason (behind Kyrie Irving leaving) the Celtics won’t contend for a title next year despite remaining quite good.