After signing for the veteran’s minimum in November, Kemba Walker has been waived by the Dallas Mavericks 24hrs before his salary would have become guaranteed for the remainder of the season.
Walker, 32, averaged 8pts/2.1ast/1.8reb per game in 9 contests with Dallas. The former Hornet came off the bench 8 times, and earned 1 start in 16 minutes a night. Unfortunately his career low .250 3P% ultimately doomed his stay in Texas as the organization opted to move on from the New York native.
The high point of his tenure in Dallas came on Dec 17th when Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie sat vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the team lost 100-99, Walker erupted for 32pts in a vintage performance which gave pause to the doubters who believed his best days were behind him.
Unfortunately since then, the 6’ guard posted scoring totals of 14, 4, 1, 3, 2, and 2 ponts amidst a stretch where he also sat for 3 contests due to concerns about his left knee.
This, coupled with McKinley Wright IV and Jaden Hardy’s emergence as contributors off the bench were enough for the club to feel comfortable letting Walker go.
With the release, Dallas will now have an open roster spot which they can use on a buyout candidate later this season. In the interim, the club is expected to fill the hole with 10-day contracts to bridge the gap.
Walker has now spent time with Boston, New York, Detroit (though he never suited up for them) and Dallas since signing a max contract extension with the Celtics in 2019.
Whether another club decides to roll the dice on the UCONN alum remains to be seen. However the prospects of him signing any future long term deals appear bleak at this point.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Steve McLaughlin. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.