Enes Kanter Freedom predicts getting ousted from the NBA, then gets cut

WASHINGTON (TND) — In an interview on Wednesday, Enes Kanter Freedom said NBA teams would “do everything they can” not to re-sign him. A day later, the vocal anti-China critic was traded, and subsequently waived from the roster of his new team.

“So, recently, whenever I have a conversation with someone from the NBA or one of my ex-teammates, they’re like, ‘Listen, this is your farewell tour. Have fun with it, enjoy it, I hope you win a championship because I don’t think you’re going to sign another contract after this year,’” Freedom said during a Wednesday interview with PBS’s Firing Line.

“So, what you’re saying is, you believe the NBA is going to punish you, and not renew your contract?” asked host Margaret Hoover. “I don’t want to say they’re going to punish me, but I’m going to say that they’re going to do everything they can to, I believe, not sign me now,” Freedom said.

The following day, Thursday, Freedom was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Houston Rockets ahead of the league's looming trade deadline. Subsequently, the Rockets waived Freedom, leaving the 29-year-old without a team.

“Do you think they’re trying to silence you?” Hoover asked Freedom. “Oh, for sure they are,” he responded, arguing repeated instances when the NBA has allegedly gone after him for his outspokenness.

Some would argue the outspoken player’s poor performance on the court is what led to his being waved. At the time of his trade, Freedom averaged 11.7 minutes, 3.7 points, and 4.6 rebounds in 35 games this season, according to Outkick.

Ahead of his trade, Freedom posted a “South Park”-style video taking a jab at the NBA and star LeBron James’ purported close ties to China. Last year, the formerly-known Enes Kanter amended his official name to Enes Kanter Freedom after becoming a U.S. citizen.

“America has taught me so much,” Freedom said, according to The Boston Globe. “You’ve got freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of press. Just because of what you guys are writing, you guys are not in jails. But so many of your colleagues in Turkey are suffering and are in jail because they are doing their job. I want to carry that word [freedom] with me everywhere I go.”