"It was not my eye at all. I don't know what it was, but it was not my eye at all. So we'll see what's going to happen," Kanter said of why he didn't re-enter the game.
Genessy noted that Kanter was one of a few players to decline to take the team charter after the game:
The Jazz do not play again until after the All-Star break, so it's not a deviation from the norm for players to go their own way. Kanter declining to travel with the team after giving such pointed comments, however, will raise eyebrows. General manager Dennis Lindsey declined to comment on Kanter's status when asked by Genessy.
Kanter, 22, is averaging a career-high 14.0 points and 7.8 rebounds heading into the break, but his future with the team has been the source of rumors all season. The Jazz failed to sign their former No. 3 overall pick to a contract extension before the Oct. 31 deadline, meaning he'll hit restricted free agency this summer.
Gobert's emergence as a rim-protecting menace has only further muddied the situation. Coach Quin Snyder has increasingly looked to incorporate Gobert more in the rotation, increasing his minutes from 15.8 in November to 27.7 in January.
Pure salary-cap logic dictates the Jazz will eventually have to trade Kanter, Gobert or Derrick Favors. With Favors under contract on a four-year extension, speculation has understandably focused on the two centers. Kanter is a more gifted offensive player but offers next to nothing from a rim protection standpoint. Gobert has All-Defensive potential, but his only scoring skill at this point is dunking.
The Jazz may have a difficult time finding suitors for Kanter given his impending free agency, so this may all be moot by Thursday. That said, his comments poured gasoline on an already simmering fire. It'll be interesting to see if Lindsey decides to put it out by making a deal or allows it to keep burning into the summer.
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