Things didn’t exactly end on a cheery note for Enes Kanter and the Utah Jazz. When head coach Quin Snyder started giving too many minutes to Rudy Gobert (and by too many, I mean not enough, since Gobert was clearly a monster-in-the-making), Kanter grew frustrated in such a crowded frontcourt and told Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune that he wanted to be traded.
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The Jazz front office eventually obliged, trading the big man to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Kendrick Perkins, Grant Jerrett, the draft rights to Tibor Pleiss and a protected 2017 first round pick in a three-team deal. But it wasn’t about what the Jazz were getting in return; this deal was about addition by subtraction.
For the Thunder, it took them a little too long to get rid of the Perkins albatross, but they brought in the kind of young, talented post scorer they’ve needed all along.
One team wants to contend for a title this year. One team wants to contend for titles in a couple of years. But about a month after the Enes Kanter trade, we’ve seen plenty of notable differences from both Oklahoma City and Utah, so it’s time to take a look at how this deal has worked out for both teams.
Next: From Utah's Perspective