NBA Rumors: Kanter Joining Celtics, Matthews To Pacers

With the NBA trade deadline expiring, the fate of Enes Kanter and Wes Matthews have unsurprising made official. Both were expected to be waived by the Knicks with no team coming forward to consummate a trade.

The Knicks tried to dangle Kanter the past weeks but the fate of the Turkish center ended up as what most had speculated. According to NBA.com, teams were wary of his $18.6 million expiring contract and instead waited for New York to waive him.

Kanter, someone who can put up double-double performances any night, is reportedly drawing interest from the Boston Celtics and several other teams. That list includes the Golden State Warriors who, as mentioned in a previous post, could get a big boost in the middle should they be able to sign the third overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.

In the case of Matthews, it did not take long for the Pacers to acquire the 6-foot-5 shooting guard after he was waived by the Knicks. According to the Indy Star, the 32-year-old cager is expected to fill the void of Victor Oladipo who suffered a ruptured quad tendon in his right knee back in January. He is expected to miss the rest of the 2018-19 NBA season.

But if there is one surprising twist over in Gotham, it is the case of DeAndre Jordan. The 30-year-old center was also expected to be waived by the Knicks alongside Kanter and Matthews. With head coach David Fizdale focusing on youth, it will be interesting how Jordan fits into New York's plans moving forward.

Things could change by the summer when Jordan's contract expires. But the NY Daily News suggests that keeping the 35th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft may be a ploy to further strengthen the Knicks chances of luring Kevin Durant in the offseason.

It seems that Jordan and Durant reportedly hold close ties, potentially giving New York a bit of an edge to other teams in pursuit. However, this largely depends if the second overall pick of the 2007 NBA Draft is decided on leaving Dub City.

The Knicks could have also had a change of heart, knowing how hard it is to have a reliable and tested big man. Jordan could be one of the new foundations for New York -- assuming they are able to offer him a hard-to-resist contract in the summer.