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Trail Blazers Trade Mario Hezonja for Enes Kanter

The Blazers acquire the center that helped them through the 2019 NBA playoffs.

NBA: Playoffs-Golden State Warriors at Portland Trail Blazers Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

The Portland Trail Blazers are making a trade to re-acquire center Enes Kanter. The Blazers will send forward Mario Hezonja to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the deal, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The Boston Celtics receive future draft considerations. They also give up the 30th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Desmond Bane.

Bobby Marks says the Blazers will also employ their $7 million trade exception, created by trading away Kent Bazemore last season, to complete the deal.

Kanter played 23 regular season games for the Blazers in 2018-19, averaging 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 22.3 minutes, shooting 57.7% from the field. He also started in 14 of Portland’s 16 playoffs appearances that season, averaging 11.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 28.8 minutes.

Kanter is scheduled to make $5 million in the coming season, the last year of his current contract.

Hezonja averaged 4.8 points and 3.5 rebounds on 42.2% shooting, 30.8% from the arc in 16.4 minutes over 53 games for the Blazers last season. He is owed $2 million this season in the final year of his contract.

Update:

Kanter adds his reaction...

Update:

Jared Weiss of The Athletic adds context.

The Celtics are trading Enes Kanter to the Blazers as an expansion to the deal with Memphis that sends MEM the rights to Desmond Bane for a future MEM pick consideration, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN first to report.

Kanter was given the choice between Memphis & Portland and preferrred his role with the Blazers, per source. BOS creates a $5m trade exception in this deal.