4 free agent centers the Pelicans should consider to replace Anthony Davis
By Cody Taylor
Enes Kanter: Portland Trail Blazers, Unrestricted Free Agent
Enes Kanter had spent time moving around the NBA before a great stint in Oklahoma City netted him a huge payday with the Thunder prior to being traded to the New York Knicks in the Carmelo Anthony deal.
Last season, Kanter held a score line of 13/9/1 on 54.9% shooting from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc. He is a solid offensive player with a good knack for rebounding, but is extremely lackluster on the defensive side of the ball with a career average of 0.4 blocks and steals per game. While stealing the ball might not be what you want out of a center anyway, the low blocks number is worrisome for one of the better big men in the NBA today.
He is only 26, so hopefully his best days are still ahead of him, though shoulder trouble has kept him out of games and might worry the New Orleans Pelicans in terms of his durability across the long season and playoffs.
He is a great locker room presence that every NBA team would love to have and would be good for the young nucleus of the New Orleans Pelicans at the right price. As long as Kanter doesn’t pursue a contract like his 4-year, $70 million contract the Oklahoma City Thunder gave him in 2015, he would be a good edition to the New Orleans Pelicans.