Grading the last 12 months of Portland Trail Blazers trades
Enes Kanter: A-
A few days after the Covington trade, Portland made a move to acquire some inside help. They not only jettisoned the contract of Mario Hezonja, but they also brought back a solid player that played a big role in helping the Blazers reach the 2019 Western Conference Finals. In a 3-way trade that saw Memphis obtain the 30th pick from Bostom and Mario Hezonja from Portland, the Blazers brought back their old friend Enes Kanter.
Kanter wound up not just being a solid backup center spot but he helped keep the team afloat while Jusuf Nurkic nursed a broken wrist. He averaged 11.2 points and 11 rebounds per game, For most of the season, Kanter was Portlands’ only real offensive inside threat. During Nurk’s absence, Kanter was a leader in helping the team to a 19-13 record.
The only negative seemed to be that Kanter struggled more defensively than he did in his previous Rip City tour. Part of the problem was because he played with other poor post defenders when he came off the bench. Another reason for his defensive woes had to do with him playing with undersized forwards.
In 2019, his defensive liabilities were better disguised. Back then he had a healthy Zach Collins and Al-Farooq Aminu to take on tougher low post assignments. Even with him being exposed by league MVP Nikola Jokic (Which Jokic exposes A LOT of NBA players). I still give this trade an “A-” because Portland dealt a low-impact/negative-contract player in Hezonja and return a high-impact player that ended up being an effective starter for nearly half the season.
Next: Page 3 – Versatility