Knicks rumors: Enes Kanter, Wes Matthews buyouts reportedly coming

New York Knicks rumors continued through the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline, as buyouts are reportedly coming for some of their veteran players.

New York Knicks rumors swirled leading up to the 2019 NBA Trade Deadline. After trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks last week, the Knicks added multiple expiring contracts in DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews. Knicks rumors picked up as a result.

With so many expiring contracts already on the team, New York became a logical potential seller at the deadline. In addition to the players from the Mavericks, Enes Kanter and Noah Vonleh were two other names to keep an eye on.

The NBA Trade Deadline has officially past us, and the Knicks didn’t make any more trades. However, the roster shuffling is far from over.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley of ESPN, the Knicks are already working on a buyout with Kanter:

This move shouldn’t surprise anyone. It was a matter of when, not if, Kanter and New York would part ways. Kanter has seen his role diminish greatly in recent weeks, as he has picked up nine DNPs out of the last 12 games.

Kanter fell out of favor because of his defensive shortcomings. However, he was beginning to rub some people the wrong way with his antics. He is active on social media, which is not always a good thing. Kanter also kissed the logo at midcourt in Madison Square Garden when he came into the game against the Mavericks.

While Kanter loves New York and the fans, he wantes to play, and play for a winner. He was vocal about not wanting to play for a tanking team, so now he will get his wish as he can potentially join a playoff contender.

One team to keep an eye on are the Boston Celtics. Ian Begley reported that rival executives believe they have their eye on Kanter once he is bought out from his Knicks contract.

This makes sense for the Celtics from a depth standpoint. Boston has dealt with injuries to Al Horford, Aron Baynes and Robert Williams this season. Kanter would provide them with a presence in the half-court as someone that can get a bucket when things slow down. He is also a strong rebounder, which Boston needs help with as they are in the middle of the pack in that category.

Likely to join Kanter on the free agent market via a buyout is Wesley Matthews. He moved into the starting lineup in his last game with the Knicks, but that will reportedly be short-lived.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Matthews and the Knicks have agreed to a buyout. In addition, Matthews already has his landing spot lined up, as he will be signing with the Indiana Pacers:

This is a huge addition for the Pacers, who lost Victor Oladipo to a season-ending knee injury. Matthews will help offset that loss and should step right into a pretty significant role with Indiana.

While Kanter and Matthews were granted their release, it does not sound like Jordan will be joining them. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Jordan is expected to be held onto by New York for the time being:

This is a smart move by the Knicks. Jordan will provide valuable experience to a young team that is in need of defensive principles. Jordan is also an excellent mentor for their rookie center, Mitchell Robinson.

The two have a similar playing style and we have already seen the impact that Jordan has had on him in a short period of time, as Robinson had a career game against the Detroit Pistons.