Report: Enes Kanter wants trade from Utah before deadline

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After logging only 18 minutes in Wednesday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz big man Enes Kanter told The Salt Lake Tribune's Aaron Falk that he hopes to be traded before next Thursday's deadline.

Kanter left the game with an eye injury midway through the third quarter, but the 22-year-old insisted he could have returned. "It was not my eye at all," Kanter said after the game. "I don't know what it was, but it was not my eye at all. So we'll see what's going to happen."

Complicating matters with respect to finding a suitor for Kanter is that he's set for restricted free agency this summer.

Kanter is averaging career-highs of 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in over 27 minutes per game, but the No. 3 overall pick from the 2011 Draft has fallen down the totem pole in Utah as sophomore center Rudy Gobert has emerged.

Gobert is averaging only 6.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22 minutes, but the French big man has been a dominant defensive force for the Jazz, averaging 2.2 blocks per game and leading the league with a qualified block rate of 7.7. That means Gobert blocks 7.7 percent of opponent field goals while he's on the court.

In addition, opposing players shoot a pitiful 37.3 percent at the rim when The Stifle Tower is protecting it, and the Jazz actually have a positive net-rating (Offensive Rating minus Defensive Rating) when Gobert is paired with power forward Derrick Favors in the Utah frontcourt.

Lineups featuring Kanter with Favors, by comparison, are outscored by 3.1 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com, as the team's defense suffers.

Kanter projects as a solid offensive big man, but his defense is severely lacking, and he's been inconsistent over his three-and-a-half seasons in Salt Lake City.