Evan Turner has enjoyed his time with the Celtics and even admitted he’d be willing to take a “hometown discount” to stay in Boston. But it appears he’ll be heavily courted by one of the team’s division rivals.
Turner, who will become an unrestricted free agent July 1, is rumored to have drawn interest from the New York Knicks, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Kennedy’s colleague, Moke Hamilton, confirmed those rumors Tuesday.
Can confirm @AlexKennedyNBA, regarding #Knicks interest in Evan Turner. Source calls Turner "on short list of gettable targets for Phil."
— Moke Hamilton (@MokeHamilton) June 7, 2016
Turner has found his niche in Boston as a key contributor off the bench, averaging 10.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game this season to finish fifth in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year voting. But the 27-year-old is at the end of a team-friendly contract in which he made $3.4 million this year, and that number should rise significantly as he hits the open market.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have a busy offseason ahead of them and might not be able to bring back Turner if they have their sights set on big-name stars.
If Knicks president Phil Jackson is able to land Turner, Celtics fans will miss his versatile skill set — and his colorful personality. In a recent interview with Complex.com, Turner had this to say about his mid-range game:
“The future is in the mid-range. The mid-range is where the money’s at, man. I think the three-point shot opens up the court and everything like that, but (Michael Jordan) and all those great players made all of their money out of the mid-range.
“So I’m not sorry for that at all. Evan M. Turner. For sure, ‘M’ stands for mid-range. Anywhere within 15 feet is cash.”
Never change, Evan.
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
