Kemba Walker’s Future Remains Uncertain
Kemba Walker is a four-time NBA All-Star and a member of the All-NBA Third Team in 2019. And yet, his future heading into the 2022-2023 season remains uncertain even after being traded to the Detroit Pistons.
From Charlotte to Boston to New York
Averaging 19.5pts per game over the course of an 11 season career thus far, he’s already produced multiple 30-point scoring games and even had a 60-point explosion against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2018.
In 2019, the Boston Celtics acquired Walker through a sign-and-trade deal with the Charlotte Hornets. At that time, the Celtics were coming off the loss of Kyrie Irving and Al Horford to free agency which made Walker the next lead guard in Boston.
In his first season in Boston, Walker, the ninth pick in the 2011 Draft, averaged 20.4 points, 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and shot 42.5% from the field. And while Boston made the playoffs that season and the next, Walker’s injuries derailed his 2021 postseason as he missed four of the five games in the first round due to a bone bruise in his left knee. In the end, the Celtics lost in five games against the Brooklyn Nets.
The Celtics would trade Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder that offseason before Walker and the Thunder agreed to a buyout.
Walker later signed with the New York Knicks. However, his stint with the Knicks saw him being removed from the rotation for Alec Burks. While he was re-inserted again due to Derrick Rose’s injury, Walker’s health issues once again complicated matters.
Last February, the Knicks and Walker agreed that the former UConn Husky would sit out the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.
Uncertainty Continues in Detroit
During the 2022 offseason, New York sent Kemba Walker plus the rights to draft Jalen Duren to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for a first-round pick.
Since then, many believed Walker’s Detroit stint would be nothing more than a quick flyby as observers believed a buyout agreement was on its way. Yet here we are, only one month away from the new NBA season and Walker is still a Piston.
One explanation could revolve around the fact that Walker doesn’t have his next team lined up to play for if he agrees to a buyout. And it would be illogical for any player to roll the dice on their future when it’s as uncertain as Walker’s.
With that in mind, the only solution to Walker’s uncertainty is to actually remain in Detroit for now until such a time when the right team that works well with his skill set emerges.
Kemba Walker’s future remains uncertain and that’s just plain unfortunate for someone who used to be hailed as one of the most exciting point guards in the NBA. He averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game in his final season with the Hornets. From there however, his numbers have been in free fall.
Last season, he played 37 games for the Knicks and averaged a career-low 11.6 points per contest.
While his prime years are almost certainly in the rearview mirror at this point, Kemba Walker can still contribute at the NBA level if he can stay healthy. He just needs a team to believe in him.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Keith Allison. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.