The New York Knicks are expected to move on from point guard Kemba Walker in the offseason after sending him home for the year shortly after the All-Star break.
While he might not be capable of leading a team as the first or even second option anymore, Walker can still provide a lot to a team as either the sixth man or just a big scoring threat of the bench. His tumultuous year with the Knicks did prove he can still score, but that wasn’t enough for him to remain the starting point guard with the Knicks.
In another situation he might be able to thrive like he did back in Charlotte. The Knicks did say they will look to find a trade partner for him, and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley believes that’ll be with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Walker and LeBron New Super Team?
GettyKemba Walker didn’t work out for the Knicks.
Maybe even five years ago, the prospect of LeBron James and Kemba Walker playing together would’ve been an exciting one, but now it’s something that would barely move the needle in terms of excitement.
The Russell Westbrook experiment didn’t work out with the Lakers, and that could mean the team is looking to move on from him. While Walker probably isn’t the answer either, he could be a better fit playing alongside side LeBron and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles. Buckley mentions that teams, like the Lakers, who are looking for offense would value him.
“Walker’s season was rough—though, to be fair, so was the Knicks’ as a whole—but that shouldn’t tank his value as either a trade target or perhaps a buyout candidate,” he wrote. “Teams hurting for offense will notice he still tallied 16.4 points and 5.0 assists per 36 minutes while hitting 36.7 percent of his threes and 84.5 percent of his free throws, per Basketball Reference.”
If Walker is acquired in a trade, this could be one that would ship Westbrook to New York. That’s an idea that has been floated a lot, but it’s not clear if the Knicks would be willing to roll the dice on the former MVP as it’d cause them to give up a lot in return.
Would Walker Fit?
GettyKemba Walker looks on prior to a game between the New York Knicks and the Charlotte Hornets.
If the Lakers do acquire Walker and bring him off the bench, he’d likely end up being a good fit. With his injury history, the Lakers won’t want to rely on him playing heavy minutes like he did in the past, so a bench role would be something that fits him if he’s open to the idea.
The Lakers were criticized with bringing in a bunch of old guys last year, and this trade wouldn’t exactly buck that trend, but it would be something that is low-risk, high-reward for the team.
Walker is closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning, and with several All-Star appearances under his belt, he might have his eyes set on an NBA championship. While things didn’t go that way for the Lakers this season, the expectation is that they’ll retool and find a way back into contention next year. Any team led by James and Davis shouldn’t be counted out.
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