Kemba Walker: Another Forgotten Star
25.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 5.9 APG. These are the stats of four-time all-star point guard, Kemba Walker. Walker put these stats up in his last season with the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018-2019 NBA season. Fast forward just four years later, and Walker stands waiting in the wings without an NBA job.
So what happened?
How did one of the seemingly most talented guards in the league find himself without a job four years removed from his best season statistically in the NBA? Are we amidst witnessing the next forgotten NBA star? Only time will tell, but the clock is ticking.
The Start of the Downfall – Walker leaves Charlotte
After Walker’s career year for the Hornets, he would enter the NBA offseason looking down a barrel of tough decisions. As would the Hornets. Walker would become an unrestricted free agent and would be eligible for a five-year 221 million dollar contract. Thus, accounting for 35% of the team’s salary cap, per Sam Quinn of cbssports.com.
Walker was asked numerous times throughout the 2018-2019 season if he would return to Charlotte after the season, and all signs pointed to the all-star guard wanting to return to the Hornets. And although it was clear he was more than willing to stay in the “Queen City”, the final decision rests all on the shoulders of the Hornets Organization.
Were they willing to meet Walker’s asking price? And did they think they could build a winning team with Walker as the centerpiece of it all?
Based on the Hornets’ decision, all answers seem to point to – no.
The Charlotte Hornets ended up deciding it was in their best interest to move on from Walker after he shut down their reported final offer of a just under 160 million dollar five-year deal. And as much of a hard decision it may have been for the Hornets to move on from their all-star guard, no one could really blame them.
In Walker’s eight-year tenure with the organization, he only made the playoffs twice, losing in the first round in both appearances. And while not all the blame for the organization’s shortcomings can be placed on him( with his best teammates in his tenure arguably being Cody Zeller and Al Jefferson). His individual attributions clearly were not enough to push the Hornets into the conversation of potential contenders. Thus, resulting in the Hornets moving in a new direction.
Walker goes to Boston
The Charlotte Hornets made a sign-and-trade deal with the Boston Celtics. The deal included point guard Terry Rozier coming to Charlotte and sent Walker on his way to his first new team in his career in Boston. And he looked like he could have been the missing piece for the Celtics. But it turned out he simply wasn’t.
In Walker’s short two-season stint with the Celtics, he averaged 19.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 3.9 RPG. And in his first season, Walker and the Celtics were able to get to the Western Conference Finals. Later losing in six games in the 2019-2020 season to the Miami Heat. Despite some success with the Celtics, Walker was on the move once again. This time to Oklahoma City. Many people believed Boston was worried about a knee injury he had been dealing with, causing them to pull the trigger on trading him.
Next Stop – New York
After the trade went through, Walker was mutually bought out by the Thunder. And shortly then after signed a deal with his hometown team, the New York Knicks. He was ready to find his footing in New York but again stumbled into another short tenure.
It began to become clear in New York that he was not the same player that he was when he was in Charlotte. As the season went on, he played less and less, and he even started to get DNPs. This was surely the start of the decline of the once-promising star.
And with only 39 games played in his hometown, Walker was already packing his bags again. He was on his way to Detroit. And the Pistons had no intention of keeping him. They bought out his contract making him a free agent once again.
Walker’s Future
Walker last appeared on the NBA hardwood in the 2022-23 season, appearing in 9 games with the Dallas Mavericks before being released again.
It is unclear what the future may hold for Walker. The interest in the now 12-year NBA veteran seems to be pretty bleak. And with the likelihood of him returning to his all-star caliber of play seeming to be slim to none. The question really is, does anyone want 2023 Walker?
The NBA has tons of young talent at Walker’s position, making it very unclear if there is still a spot for him. But his veteran presence may be enough for a team to swoop in and take in the 32-year-old vet.
The signature snatchback and bone-breaking crossovers of Walker seem to be in a time capsule, sitting right next to Derrick Rose poster dunks. And although these days of his elite-level play may be behind us, we can be thankful for the many years when the former all-star shined as one of the best point guards in the NBA.
