FILE — Enes Kanter #11 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 02, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images/AFP
The Boston Celtics are trading big man Enes Kanter to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-way trade, ESPN reported on Friday.
The Memphis Grizzlies are also involved and will receive forward Mario Hezonja from the Trail Blazers and guard Desmond Bane from Boston. Bane was a first-round draft choice (30th overall) in Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
The Celtics will receive future draft considerations from the Grizzlies, according to the report.
What a blessing to play for an organization like the @celtics ☘️
This team, this organization, the whole state made me a more complete player and a better person on & off the court.Don’t forget to retire #11 😄
Thank you Boston 💚 pic.twitter.com/8U59LXAFA2
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) November 20, 2020
Kanter previously played for Portland for 23 games late in the 2018-19 season and averaged 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds. He started eight contests.
He expressed approval of the trade on Twitter with a post saying “Home Sweet Home” with two heart emojis.
The trade occurred one day after Kanter exercised a $5 million player option for the 2020-21 season.
Home Sweet Home ❤️🖤
— Enes FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) November 20, 2020
Kanter, 28, averaged 8.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in 58 games (seven starts) for Boston last season.
Kanter has career averages of 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds in 641 games (223 starts) in nine NBA seasons. He also has played for the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks.
Hezonja averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 53 games (four starts) for Portland last season. He is averaging 6.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 330 games (69 starts) over five NBA seasons, including three with the Orlando Magic and one with the Knicks.
Bane’s move to the Grizzlies was reported on the night of the draft. He was a three-year starter at TCU and finished his career with 1,784 points (third in school history) and 249 3-pointers (first).