Change is coming quickly for the New York Knicks, which kicked off their 2018 offseason by firing head coach Jeff Hornacek just hours after a season-ending win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Thursday brought talk of a coaching search and questions about what happens next with the franchise. But Enes Kanter said he wants to stay in New York through that change, and hopes to be on the Knicks longer than his player option for next season would give him.
Kanter spoke to the media on Thursday and admitted he’s leaning towards declining his lucrative player option in the hopes of getting a multi-year contract from the Knicks.
Enes Kanter says he wants to be in New York long term. Says it's accurate to say he's leaning toward opting out of his $18.6 million player option to seek a longer-term deal.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 12, 2018
Enes Kanter said he’s leaning toward opting out with goal of signing long term with Knicks
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 12, 2018
Kanter turning down more than $18 million makes you wonder just what he thinks the Knicks might give him with a long-term deal, but it also points to just how much the big man has taken to New York. He averaged 14.1 points and 11.0 rebounds in his first season with the Knicks after a trade sent him from Oklahoma City to the Big Apple for Carmelo Anthony shortly before training camp opened last fall.
He became a rallying point for the team earlier in the season when he felt the team was disrespected by LeBron James. And he told reporters on Thursday that he has fallen for the city and playing for the Knicks despite the rough season.
Enes Kanter leaning toward opting out of contract pic.twitter.com/pfaaPYnIB9
— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) April 12, 2018
“I want to be here,” Kanter said. “I want to make New York my home, obviously.”
Kanter isn’t a franchise centerpiece like Anthony was for a time, but he’s a good piece for the Knicks that they seem intent on keeping around as the team looks to find a more successful future. Fans weary of what it will cost them, though, might not like locking down Kanter long-term just yet.
