Getty Patrick Williams defends Kemba Walker during a May 7 game against the Boston Celtics.
There’s expected to be a firesale on point guard talent all across the NBA this summer, and the Chicago Bulls are a team that can’t leave the offseason without an upgrade.
Second-year guard Coby White had his struggles last season, but now having suffered a shoulder injury, can’t be relied on for the start of next season, even as a non-traditional point guard option.
And veteran Tomas Satoransky is the only other point guard under contract next year.
It seems a matter of ‘who,’ not ‘if,’ in regards to the Bulls looming pursuit. Thankfully, they face a number of options.
Among them, is a recently traded All-Star point guard who could be on the move again in Kemba Walker.
The 31-year old was most recently traded out of Boston to Oklahoma City in exchange for big man Al Horford. But as former NBA executive John Hollinger (via The Athletic) suggests, his chances at appearing in a Thunder uniform are slim to none:
The Thunder will likely try to accumulate more draft capital by shipping Walker someplace else in return for some truly execrable contracts, although one can also imagine a buyout where Walker leaves significant money on the table and makes it back up on the free-agent market.
Enter the Chicago Bulls.
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Trade Proposal
As John Hollinger notes, and if you’ve been following the NBA over the last year this shouldn’t surprise you, the Oklahoma City Thunder will likely target some form of draft compensation in any dealing of Kemba Walker.
They did that with all of Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder, Steven Adams, and of course most recently, Al Horford.
That’s not great news for the Chicago Bulls, who after acquiring Nikola Vucevic at last year’s deadline, are down two future first-round picks.
They’ve got all of their first-round picks between 2024 and 2027, but to hedge any of those for a short-term answer at point guard would be ill-advised.
Regardless, the Bulls could make a competitive offer by including pending restricted free agent and former lottery pick Lauri Markannen to Oklahoma City.
- Oklahoma City Thunder receive: Lauri Markkanen (via sign-and-trade), Al-Farouq Aminu
- Chicago Bulls receive: Kemba Walker
Al-Farouq Aminu’s $10-million salary will be necessary in almost any deal Chicago attempts to pull off this summer, and he’s only two seasons removed from playing a contributing role on a Portland Trail Blazers team that made a Western Conference Finals run in 2018-2019.
Perhaps he could fetch a second-round pick for the Thunder at next season’s trade deadline if he can make a return to form. Stranger things have happened.
Markkanen is coming off of a rather bland fourth season, that was inhibited by injury and the often changing nature of the Bulls, who went into win-now mode after acquiring Vucevic, pushing the 24-year old out of the starting lineup.
Still, he managed to finish the year averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while knocking down 40 percent of his 5.8 three-point attempts.
Why It’s a “Yes” for Both Sides
It’s hard to see a big market opening up for Kemba Walker, who’s set to make $36-million this year with a $37-million player option next year.
His inability to stay healthy is what ultimately derailed his tenure with the Celtics, who in both seasons with him at the helm of the offense, flamed out in the playoffs in a disappointing fashion.
Walker played 119 out of 166 possible games in Boston, including the playoffs.
But the draw for the Chicago Bulls, is how he produced when he was healthy and on the court. Walker finished his two-year tenure in white and green with averages of 19.9 points, 4.8 assists, one steal, and just 2.1 turnovers per game.
He was every bit the player that drew so much trade interest for years as a member of the Charlotte Hornets when available for the Boston Celtics.
And as we’ve seen in today’s NBA, the proper load management can help to mitigate some of the damage felt from these nagging injuries.
Look at Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, etc.
Few options at point guard present more upside for the Bulls than a home run swing on a deal for Kemba Walker.
Arturas Karnisovas and the front office are determined to get value in a return for Lauri Markkanen’s exit from Chicago, and the 24-year old would present another promising young talent for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s youth movement.
With the 2021 NBA Finals just weeks away, and the offseason seemingly already underway, look for the Chicago Bulls and Kemba Walker to be linked in some form or fashion.
As far as win-now options go, he may present one of the more realistic candidates and more practical fits for a team bracing to go all-in next season.
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