Kemba Walker and the Celtics are both looking to end their relationship this summer, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (video link).
Former president of basketball operations Danny Ainge began shopping Walker after the team was eliminated from the playoffs last summer, Mannix states. He says Ainge and the front office were skeptical about Walker’s future after a knee injury he suffered in January 2020 lingered into the summer restart.
According to Mannix, the Celtics talked to “multiple teams” about a deal involving Walker, including a potential swap with the Spurs for LaMarcus Aldridge. The incentive for Boston was that Aldridge, now retired, had an expiring contract, while Walker is owed close to $74MM over the next two seasons.
Walker places a high priority on loyalty, Mannix adds, and was “frustrated” to learn that he was involved in trade talks after choosing the Celtics in free agency in 2019.
The report from Mannix coincides with a story by Farbod Esnaashari of Bleacher Report that claims there’s a “mutual agreement” between Walker and the Celtics to seek an offseason trade. Esnaashari mentions the Knicks and Mavericks as teams with the potential cap flexibility to assimilate Walker’s $36MM salary for next year.
Walker, 31, is a four-time All-Star, but his production has declined during two injury-plagued seasons in Boston. He went from scoring 25.6 PPG in his final year in Charlotte to 20.4 last season and 19.3 this year. He shot 42% from the field and 36% from three-point range, which were his worst numbers in six years.
A sore knee forced him to miss the start of the season, and he didn’t play his first game until mid-January. Walker missed 29 games this season and appeared in just 56 last year.
If the rumors are true in Dallas maybe they could try and get Kristaps Porziņģismaybe a trade of Walker a first and one of the garbage pail kids from the Celtics bench
Mavs: Walker G. Williams and a 1st or 2 2nd round picks
Celtics: Kristaps Porziņģis
I came here to say this.
Makes sense for both teams.
we dont want KP lol dude is soft and looks toxic just by how he acts
Kp is one of the few guys in the league that I think has less value than Walker. KP is horrible.
I don’t think it takes picks or the other pieces. But how about adding to it.
Porzingis and Trey Burke for Kemba and Langford… Gives Boston a back up for Smart and Pritchard and a big. gives Dallas a secondary play maker (when healthy) and a young wing for the rotation. No picks just the extra 2 guys
lol trey burke sucks
Mavs would ask for more future first round picks
They need picks
(Picks) only to facilitate further trades
I don’t think KP is worth more than KW. Probably the other way around.
Walker is 31 years old and injury prone.
He is not even worth a future First.
The best idea for Walker
Rockets get Walker and two Firsts
Celtics get Wood and Eric Gordon
Wall and Walker are solid back court
And KP is NOT injury prone?
LoL
Rockets wouldn’t do that… Kemba is a win now player if you move him to a rebuilding team that wouldn’t make sense for his career at all. Wood wouldn’t be moved from Houston either he was their diamond in the rough last season and is a great center to build around for the future.
Sillivan use u brain dummy it’s not that hard
Think it would actually be a steal for the Celtics. Although KP is playing like hot garbage right now still have to remember he’s 25, and 7’3. He averaged 19-8 for his career and although he struggled this year he still averaged 20-9 while almost shooting 50-40-90.
The east is stacked with talented bigs like Embiid, Giannis and then you’ve also got Sabonis, Vuce, Bam etc. Celtics haven’t had a good big man in years and KP only being 25 he could turn it around and be a value piece with Tatum and Brown.
As for a Kemba replacement, Marcus Smart would be a beast defensively. Otherwise maybe you can just get together enough money for Spencer Dinwiddie. Think you’d need to upgrade the bench somehow but it could be a masterstroke.
Dallas on the other hand, their championship window is now and they need to prove to Luka that they are going to build around him and give him a good enough team to win rings (multiple). Kemba might be an upgrade on a night to night basis but it won’t last longer than a season then your stuck with a terrible contract. It’s not like he plays great defence, and it’s not like you need more depth at PG so that would put me off.
Think they might need a third team to get a deal done
I like the idea of KP being a third option on offense as opposed to a second, which he’d be in Boston behind Brown and Tatum. His shooting would be welcome on a team with two iso heavy players.
Also Boston’s frontline has been so bad that KP, warts and all, would be a significant upgrade.
For Dallas, assuming Kemba can at least remain at the diminished level of his past two seasons, he would give Dallas a guy not named Luka who can create off the dribble for himself and others, which they sorely need.
He’d be a minus defensively, but KP never developed into the rim protector he was projected to be so it shouldn’t be too large of a drop off.
Although what I might like most about him if I was Dallas is he’s an expiring contract next summer. So you can move him after a year if he doesn’t work out.
Ideally
The following 4 players should be traded for big upgrade —-
Walker
Porzingis
Middleton
McCollum
Yes please
I can’t imagine there would be a taker without attaching compensation? If so that would be great for the Celtics, as much as I like Kamba. We need health, depth and salary relief. And maybe one less wing.
Sure there could be. If you consider kemba as a high priced change of scenery guy, they might be able to work a deal out for another high priced change of scenery option without much else included
Remember when majority of the fans and experts ripped MJ for not resigning him? Might be the best move he’s ever made as an owner.
I have Kemba traded to New Orleans AFTER Lonzo doesn’t come back.
* praying right now Please not Chicago, please not Chicago*
I am not a praying man, but I am with you on “not Chicago”. Actually there were rumors about Smart to Chicago, which would be a perfect fit.
Knicks should take that contract with a couple picks attached and send back some 2nd rounders and Knox. At his salary he’s a contract dump at this point, but Knicks could still use him.
Add Quickley, maybe, but I don’t think many teams (rockets in a bad contract swap with Wall somehow?) are getting near that contract…Philly, maybe, but who would they send back? Same with Lakers…only teams that would be interested are mega-over the cap teams with owners that don’t mind paying the highest tier of the luxury tax, or a team with nothing on the books, which is basically just the Knicks.
I think he would be a good fit with the Clippers.
Clippers get
Kemba Walker
Carsen Edwards
Robert Williams
Celtics get
Marcus Morris
Patrick Beverley
Rajon Rondo
Clippers get a PG to distribute to their wings along with a couple of the C’s prospects to offset taking on the extra salary.
Celtics get a little less talent, but get out of the long term financial commitment. Beverley and/or Rondo could be an okay stopgap at PG. Maybe they could draft a young guy to back up one and flip the other. Morris is still a decent big.
Maybe it also costs the Clippers their first this year, but he would have to be traded after being selected.
Robert Williams is part of the core and the future. They aren’t trading him for role players. That’s nuts.
No they aren’t trading him for role players, they are trading him to get rid of Kemba’s contract. That’s reality.
The reality is the Celtics aren’t trading Rob Williams.
If they ARE trading Kemba Walker though, they need to attach assets. Otherwise no one’s picking up the phone. Walker’s contract (and knee) are toxic.
Exactly.
Or they can waive and stretch his contract.
Your obviously a clippers fan and probably drunk when you posted that. “Little less talent” . There is no way the Celtics would do that trade.
I can’t stand the Clippers and I have been alcohol free for 13 years now. Maybe you shouldn’t trust your “obvious” observations.
Clippers would want Marcus Smart instead of Kemba. Smart would the perfect defensive guard for them
Fair point, but this was all about finding what I believe to be a fair and equitable Kemba trade.
Morris, Beverly, and Rondo? Any other old guys you want to get rid of? They already had Morris and Rondo. Why would they want them again at their ages?
And
Clippers would demand two future first round picks to absorb Walker contract
It wouldn’t be about getting those guys. It would be about GETTING RID OF WALKER! You are not getting a young stud for a broken down expensive Walker. It’s a pure salary dump.
There is no rule that says players can’t return to a team. Plus, the Celtics could always flip them somewhere else. It’s a lot easier to trade Rondo with 1 year and $7.5MM on a contract than it is to trade Kemba and over $100MM left on his deal.
Dallas
Chicago
Portland
Miami
Indiana
Lakers
No particular order
Lakers need to pay $150 million luxury tax if sign all their own free agents
Good idea
Walker can help Lakers to save luxury tax
Schroeder 22m
Tucker 13m
Kuzma 13m
Two Firsts from C
lmao why would boston give picks for all those scrubs. you think they didnt watch the playoffs??
Walker would never been traded if you think he has positive value
Schroeder and Kuzma
Schroeder and Tucker
Lakers get Walker and 1 top 5 protected First
Dude, Kemba with his knee is worth less than all three of those guys, especially if the team is leaking things like being “skeptical” about how healthy he is. You need to realize just how bad an asset Kemba is. That was an organization-killing decision when they went and got him (and I’ll fully admit I loved it at the time).
Never understood why people think he is a all star. He is a third option on a good team. Even on Celtics he was their third best player or maybe 4th. Why would any team want to pay that much for him. He will get traded to a desperate team in need of a shooter.
Bulls offer one lightly used Lauri Markannen and their leftover stock of Carmelo Anthony Bulls jerseys
ok that would be fine
throw in cristiano felicio’s jock and you have a deal
Kemba and Robert Williams for Porzingis
Won’t take the extra guy. Porzingis has a longer contract then Kemba. I’d go straight up. Or add in a Trey Burke or another contract to try to get off of if I was Dallas.
Dallas won’t do that. KP could be traded for a much less distressed asset than Kemba.
Celtics completely botched their window. Its harsh but fair for all the media fluff they got the past 5 years.
lol how? Tatum and Jaylen are barely 25 and they have $$ to sign guys to build around them
With Tatum being 23 and Brown being 24 and not even in their primes yet and Smart just hitting his I’d say the window is still open. I’m not even sure they need to trade Kemba unless he wants to go. They have the missing big man in house in Robert Williams.
I remember a few years ago hearing from some Celtics fan about how great the team was going to be. They just never managed to live up to the hype.
The irony of the biggest Houston homer making this observation…
Other than the ECFs?
When did the Rockets get to the WCFs? 2001?
You mean the 5 years they made the ECFs three times?
Wow terrible job Danny Ainge…
lol he expected loyalty? they gave him big $$ and rested him till playoffs and he came back and played like garbage. all he does is go 3-16 and smile all game. Boston is about winning unlike charlotte
You should credit mlbnyyfan as your source.
Said a few articles ago KP and Brunson for Kemba and Smart.
Can’t come here…….
Nobody wants to……
LMFAO I’m done! That’s the best reply I’ve heard by you this year. If you’re in Chicago I’d buy you a beer for that comment. I’m crying.
To Kemba: Get used to it. Until that contract expires, the team that holds your contract is going to be having discussions about how they might move it. Want loyalty, get a dog.
To Knicks: Don’t even think about taking Kemba. Celtics don’t have enough picks to make it worthwhile.
But you just know Boston said all the right things to Walker before he signed the contract. And they lied.
I know nothing of the sort, and I doubt you do. You appear to be talking out of your butt. If not: Who’s they? What was the lie? When did they tell it? How do you know his people believed it and only signed the contract on that basis?
Come on man.
The report says Walker values loyalty, and we believe that because Walker was loyal to a fault with Charlotte. Most players would have asked for a trade in the same situation. It makes sense that Walker would have looked for loyalty with the next team.
We also know that Danny Ainge lies. He’s lied about trades, lied about racism in Boston, lied to players, etc. Lying is part of being an NBA GM, or at least most of the GMs seem to think so.
Do the math. Walker is mad and hoping for a trade for a reason, right? What reason would Walker have to be mad if Ainge hadn’t lied?? Do you think Walker is a fool or something?
LOL. Walker’s loyal because there was a time when he didn’t breach his contract? Ainge lied because all GM’s lie? Racism in Boston is somehow relevant? Maybe Walker, like you, doesn’t know what a contract is. If he did, then he wouldn’t be mad when his counterparty acts in accordance with it. If you did, then your posts might make some sense.
I guess they told him somethimg like “here’s big bucks, now live up to the contract”, and he hasn’t done it
I thought he was saving until playoffs. Turns out, saving what?
Apologies to Colin Sexton fans for thinking Kemba trade…
That’s okay, me. The trading window was not open anyway. I blame Zanghi and’em for who they blamed. Tristan, he was saving.
Wow. I have no idea what you just said.
Good. I was dumb once. Better to be incoherent.
covfefe my man, covfefe
Should never of gotten rid of terry rosier. He would still be on the team. We would not be trying to trade people that we traded him for.
I really hope the Knicks don’t trade for Kemba. I know they wanted him a years ago
As he was for the Celtics, a fall back option. If they make no better splash, trade for Kemba?
Knicks never wanted Kemba. Whether they were right or wrong at the time, there was no interest.
Kemba said they had an interest when he was a free agent. But I believe you over him all the way.
OK. What you believe is obviously up to you, all the way.
Don’t know what this injury is with Kemba. But it’s lasted too Freakin long. If he can really get healthy at least to some point. Coming home could work for him. We need a PG. And his scoring is also a plus. They can’t expect much. I would look into it. But we can just sign Dinwiddie. So it would really have to look good for us. Like take Nttilikina and Noel in a sign and trade. That’s a start.
Kemba is better than he’s given credit for here, he’s just not fully healthy.
Kemba for Softzingis. Everyone wins…
Maybe…. Kemba for Adams and Bledsoe would work? Celtics have unwanted contract in Kemba, and Pels in Adams + Bledsoe, so i think switch them would be benefit for both team.
Celtics got good center who excel at offensive rebound, and another guard who could defense. Pels get rid two unsuitable player, and get another scoring option