BROOKLYN — As Enes Kanter weighed where to spend the final two months of the NBA season, as he debated whether to join the Los Angeles Lakers or Portland Trail Blazers, he couldn’t help but think back to the last time he was a free agent.

It was July 2015 and Neil Olshey, the Blazers’ President of Basketball Operations, had wooed Kanter to Portland with talk about fit and culture and the guarantee of a life-changing $70 million contract offer. Kanter was sold.

He flew to Portland, sat through a physical, and signed an offer sheet in a hotel room downtown.

“I was like, ‘That’s it. I’m coming to Portland,’” Kanter said Wednesday. “And then (Oklahoma City) matched it.”

So when Kanter settled on signing with the Blazers last week, there was bit of symmetry to it all. He was finally coming to Portland.

“I was so emotional,” Kanter said of joining the Blazers. “Because I was like, ‘Man, after four years, I want to go back there and play.’ They give me a lot. They believed in me for four years. It was like, ‘I can go back and play with that team.’”

Kanter went through his first workout with his new team on Wednesday, going through a 90-minute practice at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. In their first workout since the All-Star break, the Blazers had what coach Terry Stotts called a “lively” and “active” practice that included a healthy amount of full-court scrimmaging. Afterward, Kanter went through a 30-minute crash course on the Blazers’ basic offensive sets, working with Gary Trent Jr., Anfernee Simons, Skal Labissiere and assistant coach Jim Moran in 5-on-0 drills.

When the crash course was over, Kanter joked that he already had forgotten all the plays. And his first practice was such a whirlwind, Kanter said, it was like “smoke (was) coming out of my head.”

But his teammates left impressed.

“He’s really strong,” Damian Lillard said, offering a first impression of his new teammate. “Each time he got the ball, he was able to get a quality shot on the block. He was really good on the block. Really good offensive rebounder. The game looked easy to him.”

Kanter will instantly become the Blazers’ backup center behind Jusuf Nurkic, playing alongside Evan Turner, Seth Curry, Jake Layman and Rodney Hood in a retooled second unit.

He averaged 14.0 points and 10.5 rebounds in 44 games with the Knicks, and his ability to score inside and snag rebounds will provide a different dynamic to the Blazers’ bench. But Kanter said he brings something different altogether.

“Energy — energy and fun,” Kanter said. “The most important thing is: How can we have fun? Do your job with a smile on your face. That’s very important.”

Kanter said he chose the Blazers over LeBron James and the Lakers — his other finalists — because of his connection to and history with the organization, and fit. The tipping point, Kanter said, came when Lillard texted to recruit him, after which he decided “this is the best place that I can be.”

Wednesday was only Day 1, but Kanter said he felt at ease with his new teammates and believed his personality would mesh well in a locker room known for its chemistry and cohesiveness.

The Blazers visit the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night, the first game of a seven-game East Coast trip that also includes challenging matchups against the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. So Kanter and the Blazers, who also added Rodney Hood before the deadline, won’t have much time to iron out the kinks. Stotts said he’s optimistic things will fall into place quickly.

“He’s a talented big man, a skilled offensive player,” Stotts said of Kanter. “Big body. Knows how to play. I think he has a good feel for the game. From what we’ve heard, his teammates love him. Everywhere he’s been, his teammates have really liked him.”

It took 3 1/2 years for Kanter to finally join the Blazers. After one day, he said, it was worth the wait.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been a part of this team for a long time.”

Joe Freeman | jfreeman@oregonian.com | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Visit subscription.oregonlive.com/newsletters to get Oregonian/OregonLive journalism delivered to your email inbox