Enes Kanter was expected to opt into the final season of his contract at $18.4 million but the decision is now a bit more difficult with how well he's played with the New York Knicks.

The Thunder essentially considered Kanter a salary dump in adding Carmelo Anthony.

"It's always on my mind," Kanter told the Daily News. "But the season is going really well right now. It's just a contract. I think people worry about it too much and it gets into their head.

"People think about it too much and then it affects them, it affects their game, it affects their whole team. When the season is over, that's the time to think about it."

Kanter isn't currently represented by an agent.

The Knicks have not yet discussed the opt-in with Kanter.

Kanter is unlikely to receive a deal with an annual average as high as his $18.4 million salary but he could receive longer term security.

The New York Knicks still consider Willy Hernangomez part of their future despite not receiving consistent playing time, according to sources. Hernangomez is third on the depth chart at center behind Enes Kanter and Kyle O'Quinn.

“It’s been really hard for me,’’ Hernangomez said.

The Knicks also have Joakim Noah on the roster while Kristaps Porzingis' best position long-term may be center.

“I want to play. I want to play. I really want to be here. I love New York. KP is here. But I want to play," said Hernangomez.

“I’m young, it’s my second year. I have to play to get better. I’ve been working really hard every day. Everything I do I is 100 percent.”

League sources said Hernangomez still has decent trade value.

The New York Knicks held earnest trade talks involving Kristaps Porzingis after he skipped his exit interview with Phil Jackson and Steve Mills.

Some portrayed the talks as Jackson trying to teach Porzingis a lesson, but multiple sources familiar with the situation claim there were members of the Knicks' organization in favor of trading Porzingis at the time.

The Knicks ultimately pulled Porzingis from the trade block and parted ways with Jackson.

Porzingis has played at an All-Star level this season.

The New York Knicks are 16-14 this season as they've played with more joy and energy since trading Carmelo Anthony.

The issues plaguing Anthony and Phil Jackson appeared to spill over to the court.

"Everyone just seems a little lighter," one team source said. "The drama Phil created with Carmelo really affected the team and the joy factor." 

The Knicks' decision-makers became universally convinced in the summer of 2016 that they were better off trading Anthony to build around Kristaps Porzingis.

"Everybody was on board to try and get rid of Carmelo," is how one source familiar with the matter described the sentiment. "The feeling in meetings was almost unanimous: They felt he just wasn't a winning player. They thought they could turn everything around if they just moved him." 

According to sources familiar with his thinking, Anthony was aware of this and was one of the things that bothered him most about the Knicks' organization.

The beginning of the end of the relationship between Jackson and Anthony came in early December of 2016. Jackson said Anthony broke a team rule by sometimes holding on to the ball for too long. Anthony was incensed by the comments and they held a clear-the-air meeting.

"It just caused so much unnecessary drama for the team. It wore on them," one team source said of the episode. "At that point, everyone could feel Phil trying to push Carmelo out."

Kristaps Porzingis missed the Knicks' win over Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder due to lingering discomfort in his injured left knee.

Porzingis worked out prior to the game to test the injury and met with the team's medical staff before tipoff.

"I think he just wasn't feeling exactly right on some of his moves," Jeff Hornacek said. "So after talking with the doctors, we just felt that we'll keep him out ... They'll continue to work on it. He felt better, he seemed like he was almost ready to go today. So hopefully he progresses in the next day-and-a-half."

Porzingis twisted his left knee when he received the ball on the post in Thursday's game.

"I felt my knee buckle a little bit, and I felt a little pain there. So it's more about being cautious," Porzingis said Thursday night. "I had a little shock pain there, and that's it."

Tim Hardaway Jr. will be out for at least two weeks with a stress injury in his lower left leg.

Hardaway has begun treatment and a rehabilitation plan.

Hardaway will be reevaluated in two weeks.

In 21 games with the Knicks this season, Hardaway is averaging 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.