{"id":114862,"date":"2024-12-29T22:39:37","date_gmt":"2024-12-30T03:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=114862"},"modified":"2024-12-29T22:39:37","modified_gmt":"2024-12-30T03:39:37","slug":"lonnie-walker-suitor-best-free-agent-destination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/29\/lonnie-walker-suitor-best-free-agent-destination\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Lonnie Walker IV Suitor Is The Best Free Agent Destination?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Zalgiris guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/walkelo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lonnie Walker IV<\/a> \u201cis drawing NBA interest,\u201d according to The Stein Line\u2019s Marc Stein, who lists five teams \u2014the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics \u2014as potential free agent destinations. The former first-round pick has been playing well this season, averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 40.0 from three. With an NBA buyout clause that expires Feb. 18, the next few weeks will determine Walker\u2019s next few months.<\/p>\n<p>With that being said, each of these franchises rumored to be interested in Walker entered the 2024-25 season with high expectations. Only the Celtics are managing to live up to them. Consequently, Walker might not be being looked at as a simple depth piece. Several of his suggested suitors could be hoping he makes a relatively significant contribution to their team.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Lonnie Walker IV is drawing NBA interest and can be bought out of his \u017dalgiris contract in the EuroLeague by any NBA team until Feb. 18.<\/p>\n<p>Potential suitors said to include Sixers, Wolves, Heat, Nuggets and Celtics. Walker went to camp with Boston.<\/p>\n<p>More: <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IIIlAlphrN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/IIIlAlphrN<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XIgwtyrX6B\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/XIgwtyrX6B<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheSteinLine\/status\/1873521669022855290?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 30, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>If Walker had his choice, he might prioritize steady playing time over being on a contender. The only reason he\u2019s playing abroad is because he was <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/19\/celtics-make-highly-controversial-lonnie-walker-iv-decision\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">unable to secure a contract<\/a> with an NBA team. Riding the pine upon his return probably won\u2019t help him get a contract after the season.<\/p>\n<p>However, if there\u2019s a strong team willing to give him consistent minutes, it might be a win-win for player and team. The question is \u2014 who will it be?<\/p>\n<h2>Which Lonnie Walker IV Suitor Is The Best Free Agent Destination?<\/h2>\n<h3>Philadelphia 76ers<\/h3>\n<p>The Sixers need to fortify their backcourt rotation, making them a logical destination for Walker from the outset. With star rookie <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccaija01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jared McCain<\/a> sidelined for <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/12\/14\/76ers-jared-mccain-rookie\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">the rest of the season<\/a>, there\u2019s s real void to be filled. So far, none of their depth pieces has really come close. Walker, who\u2019s averaging 11.2 points in 22.3 minutes per game over the past four seasons, might.<\/p>\n<h3>Minnesota Timberwolves<\/h3>\n<p>The Timberwolves rank fifth in three-point attempts per game (40.0) and seventh in three-point percentage (.376). However, they have three key perimeter players (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/divindo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donte DiVincenzo<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcdanja02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jaden McDaniels<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/conlemi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Conley<\/a>) shooting below 35.0 percent from three. This is among the main reasons that they\u2019re tied with the Utah Jazz for 21st in offensive rating (110.6). Walker\u2019s three-point efficiency could allow him to stabilize their backcourt rotation.<\/p>\n<h3>Miami Heat<\/h3>\n<p>Heading to the Heat would be a homecoming of sorts for Walker, as he played college ball at the University of \u00a0Miami. That said, the sentimental nature of this potential signing isn\u2019t as significant as the Heat adding another athletic wing with two-way upside. The only problem is that Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is unlikely to guarantee Walker consistent minutes, which could lead to him looking elsewhere.<\/p>\n<h3>Denver Nuggets<\/h3>\n<p>The Nuggets don\u2019t necessarily need Walker, as they appear to have a set rotation. However, their wing depth is relatively thin and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murraja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jamal Murray<\/a> is exhibiting wear and tear. As a result, there would probably be an opportunity for Walker to get minutes and break into the rotation. Denver\u2019s lackluster energy is another reason why they might sign the 26-year-old, as his springiness can help him provide a spark.<\/p>\n<h3>Boston Celtics<\/h3>\n<p>The Celtics aren\u2019t a necessarily deep team despite having at least seven starting-caliber players in their rotation. Their depth isn\u2019t particularly weak on the wings, at least in terms of proven commodities. To that point, Walker\u2019s body of work may not be getting him to Springfield but he\u2019s established himself as legitimate scoring threat with defensive upside.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zalgiris guard Lonnie Walker IV \u201cis drawing NBA interest,\u201d according to The Stein Line\u2019s Marc Stein, who lists five teams \u2014the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, and Boston Celtics \u2014as potential free agent destinations. The former first-round pick has been playing well this season, averaging 13.0 points per game and shooting 40.0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":114870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,5,20,61,16,21,3,13],"tags":[4652,297],"class_list":["post-114862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-celtics","category-nuggets","category-international-basketball","category-heat","category-timberwolves","category-news","category-76ers","tag-lonnie-walker-iv","tag-nba-free-agency"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114862"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114862\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":114874,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114862\/revisions\/114874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}