Kemba Walker has been involved in trade rumors for some time and, honestly, it makes sense. The Charlotte Hornets have struggled to 36-win performances in back-to-back seasons and, given the team’s utter lack of salary cap flexibility, an argument could easily be made that dealing Walker for future-facing assets (and moving on with a full-blown rebuild) could be the best course of action for the franchise in the long run.
The Hornets, however, haven’t pressed the “reset” button just yet and Walker seems to be on board with that approach. In fact, the All-Star point guard was asked about a particular team, the New York Knicks, last week and he sharply pushed back against the notion that he wants to “come home” and play anywhere but Charlotte.
“I’ve been hearing it for years,” Walker told Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant on Thursday. “Every time I come home, ‘When are you going to come home and play for the Knicks?’ I know it’s a special place, I was a Knicks fan growing up, always rooted for the home team. But I just can’t see myself in a Knicks jersey, only because I’ve only been in one jersey.”
At this point, Walker is perhaps more famous for his legendary work at the college level when he led UConn to a national championship. He is from New York and, given the fact that the Knicks will have considerable salary cap room next summer, it is conceivable that the 28-year-old guard could elect to sign there even if he completes his current contract in Charlotte. That makes these comments brow-raising to some extent, even if there is little upside to say (or elude) to anything other than a full-fledged focus on the Hornets at this juncture.
Oh, and he wasn’t finished there, further cementing his allegiance to his current organization.
“I just want to do something special in Charlotte,” Walker said during the same interview. “I’ve been there eight years now, and we haven’t really been consistent as far as winning. I just want to try to establish that culture at some point. That’s what I want to do, I just want to make it a winning organization.”
There is no question that Walker is Charlotte’s best asset, both for now and in the future. There are nice supporting pieces, including 2017 lottery pick Malik Monk and 2018 lottery pick Miles Bridges, but any near-term success for the Hornets requires high-level play (and durability) from Walker. It remains to be seen as to just how this particular edition of the Hornets will play on the floor but, if the results are similar to the last two seasons, it would be difficult to blame Walker for seeking a trap door at February’s trade deadline or when July 1, 2019 finally arrives.
