The Knicks and Kemba Walker have agreed that the veteran guard won’t play for the remainder of the 2021/22 season, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Wojnarowski, the plan is for Walker to work out in preparation for 2022/23. He’ll be on an expiring $9.2MM contract in the offseason, giving the Knicks and agent Jeff Schwartz a clearer path to work out a trade at that time, Woj adds.
The Knicks have issued a statement that confirms Walker won’t play for the rest of the season and suggests the plan was instigated by the point guard and his camp.
“We fully support Kemba’s decision to shut it down for the remainder of the season and to use this time to prepare for next season,” team president Leon Rose said in the statement. “His long-term success on the court remains our priority.”
It’s the second time this season that the Knicks have shut down Walker. The club pulled him from its rotation at the end of November and sat him for 10 games before reinserting him into a lineup that had been hit hard by injuries and COVID-19. Since then, the 31-year-old has been affected by knee soreness and has played off and on.
Although Walker had a good stretch of games in December, even earning Player of the Week honors, his health issues and defensive shortcomings has limited his ability to be a consistent, reliable contributor this season.
The four-time All-Star is averaging a career-low 11.6 PPG and 3.5 APG on .403/.367/.845 shooting in 37 appearances (25.6 MPG). The Knicks have a 114.5 defensive rating and a -9.1 net rating with Walker on the court, compared to a 107.0 defensive rating and +1.9 net rating when he’s not playing.
It’s been a disappointing homecoming for Walker, who signed a two-year, $17.9MM contract with the Knicks after being bought out by the Thunder during the 2021 offseason. The New York native had hoped to help lead the team to a second consecutive playoff appearance, but the Knicks have taken a step backward in 2021/22 and currently rank 12th in the East with a 25-34 record.
Alec Burks, Miles McBride, and/or Immanuel Quickley are candidates to take on additional ball-handling responsibilities in Walker’s absence, though many of Kemba’s minutes will likely be claimed by Derrick Rose, who is nearing a return from an ankle injury that has sidelined him since December.
This just in, further confirmation the NYK are a dumpster fire.
How is there such a disconnect between the GM and Thibs? They literally got him 0 players he wants to play.
So Kemba will be a salary filler in FA …
Lol bout to be bought out by okc again setting a record for most buyouts by the same team in a calendar in nba history, top 75 all time with that rare record players could only hope to replicate
Lakers and Knicks are capable to buy out 12 players from their rosters
Let’s buy out, man,
Ex
If you don”t play Bazemore , buy him out
He’s minimum wage so they’d just waive and cut him right? No need to negotiate a buy out?
Well, luxury tax perhaps? Dont know if you can buy out minimum salary players indeed…
Why can’t they just buy him out now????
Knicks FO want to use his salary in a probable S&T
Seems like they are going to desperately try to trade him in the offseason
Since he’ll be on an expiring contract, he potentially could have trade value. Some team out there might want/need $9.1 million off their books for 2023/24.
To make sure they get their vending machines refilled and a couple of balls for him instead of nothing
savage Phillies012…absolutely savage.
His career is pretty much over. He a scorer who shots a low % and he is awful on defense.
No his career is far from over he just needs a new team fresh start he was a bad fit with the Knicks anyway I don’t know why people thought that would work. He will be fine with a new team and a good coach/team that can build around him.
Stop it bro . As much as us New Yorkers we’re rooting for Kemba sad to say his career is over. Just like his stint in Boston his knees are done and he probably will only be good in 15 to 20 mins stints off the bench. This can be a blessing in disguise if this delusional stubborn enept coach Thibs plays Duece McBride who alot of Knicks fans want to see get some minutes. I don’t want to see Burks or Rose starting at the point. Give the keys to McBride or IQ.
His knees are shot unfortunately. He’s done.
He couldn’t even hold his own in a W4th St pickup game. He’s done.
He might have some juice left, but he’s probably one more leg injury from being done.
BPM suggests he’s not quite as bad on D as advertised, and he can still light it up on select nights when his shot is falling.
But he’s a 6th man to late rotation guy at this point – the idea of using him as a starter was ultimately ill-advised this season.
They need to rename it the Nobodyplays Basketball Association…truly bizarre.
Who wants to bet Thibs will just run 4 man rotations rather than give McBride or Grimes minutes lol
Play D Rose !!!
This guy is a future Big3 MVP & I’m pretty hype to see it tbh
Chocolate milk, Kemba, plus what? Ok, another “dynasty” brother.” But Kemba + Dynasty doesn’t = royalty. They’re looking for another star to join the program if that = what you’re telling me
Good move. His expiring contract could be useful in the off season, even if nobody wants his services for next year.
It opens up a real path to PG minutes for McBride. He’s raw, but he’s the one guy who can preempt an all out PG search this off season. I don’t think they’re writing off IQ there either, and Rose is around, but McBride is the guy with the high ceiling going forward.
McBride probably still won’t play Thibs rarely plays young guy so probably Burks, Rose and IQ will take over the point guard Position. But I do think McBride should be playing I loved him in college and he’s a really great player he’s going to be really good.
Thibs advocated for the drafting of McBride. Not that he’ll hand him minutes as a result, but I don’t believe he’d deprive him of minutes he’s earned. Thibs’ actual history with young players doesn’t suggest it or otherwise trouble me. Grimes is somehow playing regular rotation minutes, despite his age and rookie status, and Quickley got the same last year. I believe McBride will play when he’s ready to play and succeed. McBride’s talented beyond his draft position, but he’s also played less basketball than most players his age, and NBA PG is a heavy lift for rookie.
Yeah good point.
Not sure I see it. If you study Jimmy Butler’s playing time in his first 2 years, even he wasn’t a “Thibs guy”.
Played 8 min per game in 45 of 66 games as a rookie (lockout year). Then played 12-25 min per game in the majority of the first half of season #2. Then there was a 5 game spurt of aprox. 44 min per game strictly between games 39-42 that year (assuming someone missed time here)… before Thibs unleashed Butler for more minutes in game 69 that year, where he played the living hell outta him for the remainder of the season for an average of 42:17 min per game (first double double, 22 & 14, came in one of these games against the Knicks). Keep in mind, Jimmy played 20:23 in game #68. Then Jimmy averaged 40:73 per game in 12 playoff games that year. Five of them were 48 min efforts.
So after his rookie season and entering year #2, Jimmy Butler did not have Thibs “confidence” – until there was an epiphany & he decided to basically stop having him sit on the bench… ever. This is with 14 games left in the regular season…it took about 134 games, give or take, for Thibs to realize “maybe this guy deserves more minutes”.
We know of Butler’s maniacal work ethic. It is documented that it was there before he was drafted – which tells me he was bringing it in Thibs’ practices… yet that clearly was not enough to have Buckets crack the consistent 30 min mark…until the dam broke and the 40+ min efforts came flooding in.
And this is a guy widely viewed today as one of the ultimate “Thibs guy”. Feels foolhardy to think you know if/when Thibs will play any young players.
Thibs is a real HC’s (one of the few left in the NBA), and if you know what that means, you know pretty much when guys are going to get minutes. When they’re ready to provide the team (the players, collectively) with its best chance to be successful (which means winning). That’s a HC’s job, and it’s a singular process across all sports. Assess, assign and hold accountable. Rinse and repeat. Thibs is one of the best. I trust his assessments more than those of an AAU butt boy or the world council of 2k’ers.
Not sure what you’re point is about Butler. How Thibs’ coaching process impacted Butler as a young player for the Bulls in 2011-13 isn’t dispositive of how it might impact a different young player on a different team. FWIW, it’s not really surprising that Butler wasn’t ready coming out of Marquette. He was a projected 2nd round pick, and was taken with the last pick in the first round. He didn’t play much at Marquette until his JR year. He came out at 22 years old and still raw, and little in the way of perimeter skills. McBride is similar in some ways (I think the original plan was to redshirt him). Thus, he may not be ready, but he’s closer than Butler was, and the Knicks aren’t as good at PG as those Bulls were on the wing. I don’t know if he’ll play (obviously), or if he should, but the path has opened up some.
Kemba’s advanced stats actually aren’t horrendous (14.3 PER, .537 TS, 0.2 BPM, 0.5 VORP), but he really makes no sense in NY’s rotation at this point.
I could see him having some value for a team looking purely for some scoring punch off the bench this summer.
While I’m usually not a fan of shutting guys down – in this instance it makes sense for both sides. NY can give Grimes/McBridge more run, and Kemba can ensure his health for next season, in hopefully a more suitable situation than NY.
Really feel for Kemba honestly. Great dude, was overly excited to have a homecoming… and this is how it ends.
Feel the same – the sad thing is that it could have probably been workable.
But having Rose + IQ + Kemba really never made any sense. They’re all best suited as score first 6th men, and not many teams need 3 of them. I said after the signing that I wondered if they knew Walker was going to be available prior to signing Rose because the two moves in tandem seemed asynchronous.
Add in Randle’s regression to the mean (to put it kindly) and the East’s surprising depth and the season was pretty much bound to spiral down the toilet.
All this “mutual sitting out” is dumb. Just say he trash and not worth playing anymore.
You can’t read between the lines?
He would be a great back-up in ATL next year for the right price. Lou Williams might retire and Kemba still has some juice left.
First I hope he regenerates. Get healthy Kemba, we’re with you. I said it before. His future is as a backup like Rose. Solid vet who can give you points and good mins (20-25 a gm).
For us he can help by being part of a trade at draft. Wish him the best. Now Thibs better give Cam and McBride mins. McBride needs to show us he can handle the PG. Then that makes Quickley expendable too. Cam has to get mins so we can evaluate keeping him.
To me the best thing is play for next yr. Play the young guys and secure a top 10 pick. I’d love to trade up from there. If not there is a solid talent there. Banchero has been dropping. I don’t see him going lower than 6.
Get well Kemba !!
Forget it Al this delusional stubborn enept coach already said after Knick practice if you look at Burkes numbers he gives us the best chance to win. SMH because this delusional coach is going hang his self as this miserable season and death march will go on. The only way he will dust off Duece McBride is if Burkes IQ and Rose are all out from Injury or Covid so the next time we will see McBride is in G League highlights where he is constantly dropping 30 points gems while Burkes is dribbling no where left and right and not playing to his strength which is a combo guard who can get you buckets off the bench. I pray Jim Dolan starts singing his your fired song soon so this nauseating nightmare can be over soon. We are in full tank mode right now with this enept coach so maybe that mid-range assassin Johnnie Davis from Wisconsin who reminds me of Jamal Murray from Denver will fall in our lap on draft night. He has been ringing up 30 point performances like Thibs getting out coached on nightly basis by younger coaches.
This new school play by choice culture is frankly bs
Shutting down players due to punting the year is not commensurate with the millions these dudes make while in their prime (or past prime in Kemba case) either way
If able to play , suit them up ! It drives value of the tickets the fans pay for and expect
Random sitting of rest days is a disrespect to the fans and it’s gone too far imo
Or he’s their employee and they can do whatever they want with him. It has nothing to do with a ‘new school’ approach, either. Players who are underperforming/don’t fit a scheme get benched.
The NBA has more than enough talent now taller than 6’3″ & teams need that height to play defense & compete. Sadly, it’s the rare young short guard like 6’1″ Trae Young who can make it and last for a lengthy career.
Neither will Zion
He’s still getting paid 25 mil by OKC as well. Another player getting paid 30 mil+ to sit at home. Crazy.
Knicks fans saying his career is over just wait until he gets a chance on another team and balls out.
Rooting for you Kemba.
Probably not a starter anymore should be looking for a 20 minute role off the bench for a playoff team that needs a veteran to lead the second unit and get buckets for them.
Could see him working out for Bucks, Mavs, Clippers, Pelicans, Lakers and Kings. Heck I’d take him as a back up on the Sixers.
Come the offseason and the Lakers trying to move Russ again, and rumours of Knicks not only wanting a point guard but also wanting to move Fouriner and/or Randle I could see that being an option for some kind of weird 3 team deal.
He’s a backup PG now. I’m not even sure he’s better than other backups. Honestly the reason he was so good in Charlotte was because he never had much around him. Meaning he had more time with the ball.