PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland Trail Blazers free agent center Enes Kanter has agreed to a two-year deal with the Boston Celtics worth $10 million, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The second year is a player option.
Kanter, who signed with the Trail Blazers after the trade deadline this past season, played a pivotal role in the team's run to the Western Conference finals. He averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 23 games during the regular season with the Blazers.
In the playoffs, while playing through a separated shoulder, Kanter averaged 13.2 points and 10.2 rebounds in the first round against the Thunder, and 12.7 points and 10.9 rebounds in the second round against the Nuggets. He lost his starting spot midway through the Western Conference finals against the Warriors, and averaged 6.8 points and 7.0 rebounds in that series.
The Blazers had five free agents this offseason. They re-signed sharp-shooting wing Rodney Hood, and watched Al-Farouq Aminu sign with the Orlando Magic, Enes Kanter sign with the Boston Celtics, and Curry sign with the Mavericks.
The only remaining free agent for Portland is Jake Layman. The Blazers offered him a $1.9 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, so the Blazers will have the right to match any contract offer he signs with another team.
After the Blazers signed Mario Hezonja on Sunday and traded Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless for Hassan Whiteside on Monday, Portland has 13 players on its roster, including Layman. So the Blazers aren't done. They'll likely add one or two more players before the offseason is over.
TRAIL BLAZERS ROSTER
PG: Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons
SG: CJ McCollum, Kent Bazemore, Gary Trent Jr.
SF: Rodney Hood, Mario Hezonja, Nassir Little
PF: Zach Collins, Jake Layman (RFA)
C: Hassan Whiteside, Jusuf Nurkic, Skal Labissiere
Jared Cowley writes about the Trail Blazers and other topics for KGW.com. He's also the co-host of the 3-on-3 Blazers podcast (listen here). You can reach him on Twitter @jaredcowley.
