New York Knicks center Enes Kanter still hasn’t decided on his player option, but other teams in the league reportedly expect him to opt in.
The mystery surrounding Enes Kanter‘s player option continues to grow. It’s hard to imagine a non-superstar opting out of a contract that pays him nearly $19 million, but Kanter’s future remains unclear.
According to ESPN’s Ian Begley, the Turkish big man “hasn’t yet made a decision” on the player option but opposing teams are expecting Kanter to opt in and return to New York.
Enes Kanter hasn’t yet made a decision on his $18.6 million player option. Opposing teams expect him to opt in. But if Kanter opts out, multiple teams – including Milwaukee – have expressed interest internally in discussing a potential contract with the 26-year-old center.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 24, 2018
Kanter has until June 29th to make a decision and he has no reason to rush. But his comments about how much he likes New York and his recruitment of LeBron James made fans believe a return to the Big Apple was in the cards.
Per Begley, Milwaukee is one of the multiple teams who would be interested if Kanter decided to opt out. One would think he’d want the most money available–like the rest of the NBA–but he could be looking more toward long-term security in his next deal.
Kanter is coming off the best season of his career. The 26-year-old center posted averages of 25.8 minutes, 14.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks on a slash line of .592/.000/.848.