Enes Kanter picks up $5 million player option with Celtics

Celtics big man Enes Kanter picked up his $5 million player option ahead of Thursday's 5 p.m. deadline.

BSJ Analysis: It was tough to see Kanter doing better on the open market than $5 million, but the question was whether Kanter would be looking for a bigger role than he saw in Boston, especially during the postseason. However, given a crowded free agent big man market, finding a playoff team that wants to give Kanter bigger minutes was a long shot, given his defensive limitations that we outlined last month. The bigger question now is whether he will be dealt by Boston ahead of the start of free agency to free up some money and a roster spot.

In other Celtics news trickling out, the team did not extend a qualifying offer to Brad Wanamaker. That does not preclude the team from bringing back the point guard, but ensures that they aren't obligated to, since Wanamaker could have locked into a guaranteed contract if the qualifying offer was extended. Now, he'll be an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with Boston or any other team. The drafting of Payton Pritchard at No. 26 overall in the 2020 Draft does not bode well for his chances of being brought back, since there probably isn't going to be room for him, Tremont Waters and Carsen Edwards on the roster.

Here's more in-depth analysis from last month on why Kanter likely chose to opt in:

The Celtics signed the 28-year-old center last summer to a two-year deal with a modest raise in year two of the deal with their room-level exception. The pact was essentially the same deal that Aron Baynes got from the team in the summer of 2017 to help fill the team’s void in the middle.

When healthy, Kanter had a successful year in Boston, at least during the regular season. He nearly shot a career high 57 percent from the field and posted some of his best rebound rates ever despite a sharp decline in playing time from past seasons. From a production standpoint, Kanter may feel like he did enough to earn a raise on the open market as he enters another year of his prime. Testing that market instead of falling deeper into the Celtics depth chart at the center position behind Daniel Theis and Rob Williams next season may hold some appeal and has led to rumors circulating that Kanter is leaning towards opting out next season.

However, if money is a priority for Kanter, it’s hard to see him turning down his $5 million option for the 2020-21 season. Let’s take a closer look at the center free agent market to see why.

Supply and demand

The value of true centers across the NBA has been reduced in recent years especially as supporting pieces on a roster. While true center superstars have their day in the sun (Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Bam Adebayo) the league has been moving away from a true rebounding big like Kanter who lacks both 3-point range and defensive versatility. A strong big is still a useful weapon to have on the bench for specific matchup (vs. Joel Embiid) but it’s a spot where the supply outweighs the demand, especially as we head into this offseason.

The problem for Kanter as he explores potential opportunities beyond Boston this offseason while weighing his options is that there are limited openings on NBA rosters for meaningful center roles around the league. There’s certainly a place for Kanter in this league but probably not one for above the veteran’s minimum, especially with such limited cap space available this offseason.

To better illustrate this, I examined the center depth charts across the league. Among all 30 NBA teams, there were less than 10 that are going to be in the market for backup or starting center this fall. Only a handful of teams among those actually have meaningful cap room to spend. So let’s explore a few of Kanter’s potential options.

Teams in the market for a center this offseason

Charlotte: Cody Zeller (starter) is under contract, Bismack Biyombo and Willy Hernangomez are becoming free agents. There’s a major void here for a big man but the Hornets and their $22 million in cap room will likely aim higher with their options than Kanter with this rebuilding squad.

Detroit: Christian Wood and Blake Griffin make up the frontcourt and there’s nothing much behind them. They have $28 million to spend in free agency but have a host of holes across their roster to fill. It’s highly unlikely they spend money on a 28-year-old defensively challenged big man to fill those holes when alternatives are available.

Denver: Nikola Jokic is the All-Star and his backup Mason Plumlee is set to be an unrestricted free agent. The Nuggets have Bird Rights on him so if they agreed to a deal, there will be no room for Kanter. Even if they don’t, the Nuggets will probably spend their disposal salary on retaining Jerami Grant or Paul Millsap over Kanter.

Golden State: There’s a huge hole here in the middle with Kevon Looney being the only true big signed to the roster. If Kanter is strictly looking for opportunity, this could be a home but the Warriors only have the taxpayer mid-level to spend and lots of more holes to fill. They also may want a more defensive-minded big in the middle than a liability like Kanter. Best case here is a veteran’s minimum offer and a chance to compete for minutes.

OKC/Phoenix: Both have good backup centers that are free agents (Nerlens Noel/Aron Baynes) with strong starting centers already in place (Steven Adams/Deandre Ayton) neither will be paying a premium for bigs if they let their own backups walk.

Portland: Kanter’s former home may have an opening at center behind Jusuf Nurkic if Hassan Whiteside walks. However, Zach Collins is already under contract there and it’s hard to see them bringing back Kanter when they already had one of the worst defenses in the NBA last season.

Sacramento: Richaun Holmes earned the starting job last year and there are plenty of bigs (Marvin Bagley, Nemanja Bjelica) already signed behind him. The Kings will be spending most of their money on other priorities beyond center (Bogdan Bogdanovic) and already have a free agent big in Alex Len they could try to retain.

San Antonio: Jakob Poeltl is a restricted free agent and LaMarcus Aldridge is already locked up for one more year. If Poeltl walks, the backup center position could be available but the Spurs don’t have cap room.

Teams with cap room that don’t need a center

Atlanta: Traded for Capela and Dedmon at the trade deadline
New York: Have a younger version of Kanter’s rebounding skillset already locked up in Mitchell Robinson with a lot more upside defensively.  
Miami: Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk already under contract.

With very limited opportunities available for regular roles next season at center, let’s also take a look at the list of free agent centers this offseason that Kanter would be competing against for the little cash that is available.

Top free agent centers

Montrezl Harrell, Serge Ibaka, Tristan Thompson, Aron Baynes, Derrick Favors, DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside, Mason Plumlee, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, Dwight Howard, Jakob Poeltl (restricted)

The majority of these players have Bird Rights with their original teams so several should stay put but it’s hard to see Kanter getting a bigger offer than anyone on this list since he’s easily the weakest defender of the bunch. Even if everyone on this list stays put, that only opens up one starting job (Golden State) or a couple of teams with decent cap room and a need (Detroit, Charlotte) that could be shopping for bigs. It’s hard to envision either of those rebuilding squads spending anything substantial on a 28-year-old Kanter.

All of this boils down to Kanter making a choice in the next few weeks. He could turn down his player option in Boston with the hope that he can find a bigger opportunity for playing time elsewhere. However, the odds of him finding a team willing to pay him more than the veteran’s minimum ($2.3 million for a player with nine years experience) this offseason is a long shot when you look at the competition on the open market.

If Kanter doesn’t care about losing that $2.7 million next season ($5 million – veteran’s minimum salary), he could opt out and try to find more opportunity in a new home but those options are going to be few and far between. The better bet for him may be simply to opt-in for $5 million and hope the Celtics are able to trade him to a team with a need in the middle if he’s no longer part of the team’s plans at center.

The Celtics holding onto him for next season can’t be ruled out too to provide added depth amid a group of centers that have historically be less than durable in Daniel Theis and Robert Williams. However, more opportunity sounds like it will be a priority for younger parts of Boston’s bench next year.

“I feel like there’s a lot that we don’t know about our team just because the opportunities haven’t come for so many of our players that are on our bench,” Ainge said. We saw Grant finish up pretty strong with a few short minute opportunities. Robert had a good finish to the season. Enes gave us a big boost many times throughout the year. Daniel Theis had a terrific year.”

If Ainge wants to see Rob and Grant Williams play more, spending $5 million on Kanter to sit on the bench isn’t the best use of resources when the team could be in the tax. The Celtics probably wouldn’t mind one bit if Kanter sees the writing on the wall and simply opts out but the market conditions probably aren’t player-friendly enough for that to happen if money is a priority for the big man. Therefore, look for a Kanter to follow a similar fate to Baynes (offseason trade) if he tries to stick around.