Getty The Knicks will be looking to move Kemba Walker.
The New York Knicks have one major priority this summer and it’s getting rid of banished point guard Kemba Walker before the start of the next year.
Both sides came to an agreement during the past season that would see Walker sit for the remainder of the year and they would split in the offseason. Walker still has a year left on his deal, but after failing to move him at the deadline, all expectations are he’ll be gone this summer.
Walker has shown he can still be a productive scorer in the right situation, but his days of being the lead option or perhaps even a starter are behind him. There are plenty of teams that could use his firepower off the bench, and Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley believes the Rockets could be interested in him. Given his contract being so affordable, he could be a veteran option off the bench, or he could simply be bought out.
Big Trade Possibility
GettyHouston Rockets big man Christian Wood.
Buckley believes Walker, Cam Reddish and Mitchell Robinson could all be sent to Houston, and it makes a lot of sense.
Robinson’s future with the Knicks is up in the air, and the team has not committed to an extension for him. If they do decide to move on, the best they could do is get something in return. This would have to be done through a sign-and-trade if the Knicks want assets back, so that’s what’s being proposed. Let’s take a look:
- New York Knicks receive: Christian Wood and Eric Gordon
- Houston Rockets receive: Mitchell Robinson (sign-and-trade), Cam Reddish and Kemba Walker
For the Knicks, they’d get rid of two players who weren’t in the regular rotation, and they’d be able to get something in return for Robinson in the event he doesn’t come back.
Buckley argues this deal could open up the Knicks’ offense and make them a better shooting team.
“Since Randle and RJ Barrett, New York’s top two scorers, operate best inside the arc, the Knicks could be drawn to this deal’s ability to expand beyond it,” he wrote. “Wood just shot better than 37 percent from range for the third consecutive season. Eric Gordon just dialed back the clock by splashing 41.2 percent of his long-balls. Both would give this group some badly needed breathing room.”
Wood is a player who was overlooked for much of his career, but with Detroit and later Houston he was given a chance to flourish and show what he can do. An athletic floor-spacing big man is tough to come by, so the Knicks would certainly love to have him.
Something Needs to be Done
GettyKemba Walker, New York Knicks
The Knicks won’t be hanging onto Walker all season long like the Rockets just did with John Wall, so they’ll need to find a home for him.
With his contract, the Knicks shouldn’t have to look too hard to find a potential suitor, and it’s always better to get something in return instead of just having to cut him loose themselves.
Whether that opportunity arises with the Rockets or somebody else remains to be seen.
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