Chris Forsberg, Kendrick Perkins and Chris Mannix discuss what the Celtics are getting in Aaron Nesmith out of Vanderbilt, selected No. 14 overall in the NBA Draft.
Enes Kanter is not hitting NBA free agency.
The Boston Celtics center has exercised his $5 million player option for the 2020-21 NBA season, per ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
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Kanter had a deadline of 5 p.m. ET on Thursday to decide whether to exercise his player option. If he declined it, he would've become an unrestricted free agent Friday.
Here's Chris Forsberg's take on Kanter's decision:
Enes Kanter triggered a $5 million player option. Kanter might not have been able to fetch that same dollar amount on the open market but now leaves himself open to being dealt in a trade. He’s expendable if the Celtics desire to lean heavier on Robert Williams and Grant Williams, or if the team further bolsters its big-man depth chart when free agency opens. Kanter’s salary could be helpful in any trade that might bring back a veteran player to bolster Boston’s bench. If the Celtics strike out in adding a big man, Kanter could be back in an energy role if the team continues to lean on a center-by-committee approach.
The 28-year-old veteran signed with the Celtics last July and averaged 8.1 points and 7.4 rebounds over 16.9 minutes in 58 games played during the 2019-20 campaign.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics currently have Robert Williams, Daniel Theis, Vincent Poirier and Kanter at center on their roster. Grant Williams also could play center in small-ball lineups, which the C's use often.
