The Utah Jazz are at moment without a real starting center. Rookies Kofi Cockburn and Walker Kessler could maybe prove themselves this season, and Udoka Azubuike is probably going to be a career backup. They could resign Hassan Whiteside, but that former star has been relatively quiet about the inner workings of free agency, so NBA fans have largely forgotten about him.
Another unsigned free agent comes to mind. Enes Freedom (formerly Enes Kanter) is a former Jazzman who, since 2014, has bounced around the league.
Freedom is not a horrible center. His offensive production is better than average, he is an elite rebounder, but he is also one of the worst defenders in the entire league at his position. If the Jazz are serious about tanking, then they might not care about his defensive struggles. In fact, it may actually be a welcome addition to the roster.
Utah Jazz: No matter what, Enes Freedom should not be signed
Usually, I enjoy it when a team brings back a former player, especially when that team is the one that gave the player his start. The Jazz took Freedom–then Kanter–third overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. Aside from Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, and Kemba Walker, that draft class was very disappointing. I can’t knock the Jazz for taking Freedom at third, even if it was a little bit of a stretch.
Freedom has enjoyed a relatively solid NBA career. He’s never been All-NBA, but he’s gotten plenty of minutes and earned millions of dollars. That being said, at age 30, teams suddenly lost interest in signing him.
Kessler literally has the same Rudy gobert foundation, now can he reach the ceiling? We’ll have to see but if they eventually trade Mitchell or don’t try to compete, why not start the young kid on and off to give him reps
— big o ✰ (@flacopinga) August 2, 2022
Apparently, Freedom is used to there being a little bit more demand for his services. He’s not a bad player by any means, but the Utah Jazz should absolutely not resign him, under any conditions.