In eight NBA seasons, three-time All-Star Kemba Walker has played just 11 total playoff games, and has never made it out of the first round. With the Hornets unable to lure major free agents to Charlotte or effectively build through the draft, Walker is set to leave and join a major Eastern Conference contender when free agency opens on Sunday, according to multiple reports.
News broke Saturday that Walker is expected to sign a four-year max contract worth $141 million with the Boston Celtics. After making the All-NBA third team in 2019, Walker was eligible to sign a five-year supermax deal worth $221 million – but likely would have been stuck on a mediocre team.
.@KembaWalker has conveyed to the @hornets he intends to sign with the Boston Celtics once free-agent contracts are allowed July 6, multiple sources say.
As reported this week, the Celtics and Walker both intend for the All-Star guard to commit to a four-year, $141M maximum contract once free agency opens on Sunday at 6 PM. Walker is traveling to New England to meet with Celtics officials at 6 PM ET. https://t.co/KxKR56ezXB
Source close to Kemba Walker told me that primary reason for the All-Star point guard choosing Boston was chance to go deep in playoffs — and play with talented guys like Tatum, Hayward and Jaylen Brown. Doesn’t feel as if he has to do it all by himself – which was case in CLT.
Walker may be giving up a significant amount of money by leaving, but he’ll be joining a playoff-tested team with talented young players. It’s not clear, however, whether a five-year supermax was even on the table for Walker, as the Hornets would have incurred a hefty luxury tax bill by maxing him out.
There were constant trade rumors involving Walker earlier this year, but it was reported in January that owner Michael Jordan was refusing trade offers for Walker – a sign that the team intended to commit to Walker financially. Earlier this month, Walker said that he would be willing to sign a deal worth less than the supermax to help the Hornets build a team. Instead, the Hornets have lost their lone star for nothing, and many fans and analysts are questioning the team’s strategy.
That Kemba Walker will walk away from Charlotte for nothing is a bad look for the Hornets. Was Mitch Kupchak and Co. not told by ownership that there would be a financial ceiling for Walker? And if they were, why not trade him for something, anything midseason?
Tough time for Hornets fans. Paid (overpaid) to keep their own FAs, which made it impossible to keep Kemba w/o going into the tax. But if they’d given him the supermax, as they could have, they’d get killed for overspending on one guy. An impossible dilemma for mid-market teams.
Путин заговорил о дружбе с Трампом и нацелился на Аляску
ИИ MICROSOFT ОПИСАЛ ГЛАВНОЕ РАЗВЕДЫВАТЕЛЬНОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ ВСЕЛЕННОЙ! ПРОГРАММНЫЕ ИНТЕЛЛЕКТЫ ПОМОГАЮТ! Россия, США, Европа могут улучшить отношения и здоровье общества!
Ожидания «бабьего лета». Чего ожидают от погоды в августе и сентябре
78.ru: в Кронштадте спасли подростков из Москвы, унесенных в залив
В Ненецком округе руководящие работники балуются откатами
Решением суда по исковому заявлению прокуратуры в пользу многодетного отца с Федеральной службы судебных приставов взысканы убытки, причиненные незаконным бездействием
Молебен в честь преподобного Пимена Угрешского прошел в Балашихе
«Два Алтая» вошли в федеральную программу по развитию въездного туризма
