After a year away, Enes Kanter is returning to Boston.
The Celtics and Kanter have agreed to a one-year deal to bring the veteran center back to the C’s, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Kanter is signing a minimum deal, per longtime Celtics reporter Mark Murphy.
The Celtics needed to add some depth to their frontcourt. What initially looked like a position of abundance has thinned out after the trades of Tristan Thompson and Moses Brown. Barring further changes, Robert Williams, Al Horford and Kanter all figure to compete for time at center for the Celtics.
Kanter is mostly a defensive liability, but he has a lot of offensive upside and can grab boards like a menace. It’s also worth noting that Brad Stevens, when he was the Celtics head coach, did a largely decent job of sheltering Kanter so that he wasn’t constantly getting burned on defense, specifically pick-and-rolls.
The 29-year-old last season posted 11.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per game across 72 games for Portland.
A return to the Celtics marks the continuation of a somewhat comical pattern for Kanter. He was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline. He finished the season there, then signed with the Celtics that offseason. After one season with Boston, he went back to Portland and now is in Boston once again.
