New York Knicks Enes Kanter
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

The New York Knicks have been throwing around names to potentially be traded all season long but Enes Kanter wants to stay.

Allison Case

In a tumultuous environment down in Manhattan, the New York Knicks are looking to throw up the “For Sale” sign.

With the team floundering at 10-34 on the season, the Knicks need to make some moves to get ready for what they hope will be a better 2019-20 season. One of those names being tossed around is Enes Kanter.

The relationship between Kanter and the Knicks has been rocky at best. The tensions came to a head when Kanter was criticized for his criticism of Turkey’s president. In fact, he wasn’t just criticized; there is a warrant out for his arrest in his native country.

While not a good look for the Knicks or Kanter overall, there are still discussions about where he could potentially end up come Feb. 7. Kanter, however, knows exactly where he wants to be.

“People know I love the Knicks. And I want to play here, and I want to play basketball here and I want to win here,” Kanter said to ESPN’s Ian Begley. “But if they trade me, I cannot say, ‘No, I don’t want to be traded.’ But I don’t want to get traded.”

Clearly Kanter sees his future with the Knicks and has some ties to his current position in New York. While he missed out on their recent trip to London because of political tensions, Kanter has been a fairly consistent contributor for the struggling Knicks.

Kanter has suited up for 41 games and averages 14.4 points per game, the second-highest average of his 8 seasons in the league. The 26-year-old has done well on the offensive end but his defensive struggles have cut down on his playing time this season.

While it seems like the Knicks want to move him, the real question is CAN they move him with all the background noise surrounding the Turkey native?

If it were up to Enes Kanter, he won’t be leaving New York. Ever.

 
Allison is just a girl with an enormous passion for the game of baseball and the written word. Based in Upstate New York, her life-long relationship with the New York Yankees is something that she developed through close relationships with her mother and grandfather. An aspiring sports writer, she graduated with a journalism degree and is finding places to share her excitement about the sporting world and how it affects us all.