Damian Lillard Refutes Claim Blazers Gave Enes Kanter 6 Minutes To Sign

Enes Kanter was one of the many players looking for a new contract this week and yesterday, it was revealed that he had signed with the Boston Celtics on a two-year contract worth $10 million. Kanter is one of the more offensive-minded centers in the league, although he tends to get exposed when it comes to his defensive play. While Kanter’s signing in Boston should have been a story on its own, the narrative quickly changed thanks to a text the Turkish player sent to Marc J Spears of ESPN.

In the text, Kanter revealed that the Portland Trail Blazers wanted him to re-sign although they were only willing to give him six minutes to do so. Signing an NBA contract can be a life-altering decision and six minutes isn’t close to enough time to make the right choice. As Kanter notes, this is why he ultimately walked away.

Kanter’s former teammate Damian Lillard challenged this narrative on Twitter though, as he said that Kanter was actually given 45 minutes to make his choice. Obviously, 45 minutes is significantly more than six although it’s still not that long when you think about exactly what’s at stake. 

Lillard seemed to defend his team, even more, when he noted that “nobody wanna be left empty-handed.” Considering Lillard was actually there, it’s hard to deny his knowledge on the matter.