The Hornets Want Kemba Walker To Retire In Charlotte


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Hornets point guard Kemba Walker will become a free agent at the end of this season and there are certainly some questions about his future in Charlotte. Walker has said before that he would like to stay with the team, but the Hornets are in a weird position right now in terms of where the team is at and where Walker is at.

Charlotte has missed the playoffs the last two seasons due to a mix of bad luck and lack of talent on the roster. The Hornets feel stuck in mediocrity right now. It would make sense to blow everything up and restart. The problem with that idea is that Walker is in the middle of his prime. He doesn’t have the time to wait for a rebuild.

If Charlotte is going to get the most out of his career then they need to make a significant playoff push or potentially even trade him. Last season, the Hornets explored the idea of it, but they never got anywhere close to actually pulling the trigger on a deal involving Walker. Since then, the Hornets have hired a new GM and coaching staff. They also seem to have backtracked the idea of trading him.


New Hornets GM Mitch Kupchack told The Athletic that the Hornets want to see Walker retire one day in Charlotte.

You said when you arrived here that Kemba Walker would be a “focal point” of this team moving forward. Can you definitively say he’s off the trading block now, that he’s not going anywhere?

He’s a free agent this year, so I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say with the league. But our intention is for him to end his career in a Hornet uniform.

It sounds like you and he are in agreement, then. He said he doesn’t want to go anywhere and wants to re-sign here.

Yeah, I’ve read the things he said. He’s beloved here. He’s our All-Star. So, why wouldn’t you want to have him end his career here? He’s been here from the beginning. He’s beloved in the community. It sounds like he wants to stay here. There’s nothing that can be done about that now. Next summer, we’ll do what we have to do.

Based on what Kupchack is saying here, it sounds like the Hornets plan to go down with the ship when it comes to Walker. It’s hard to blame them, too. Charlotte isn’t exactly a destination known for drawing in stars. Not only have they developed one themselves in Walker, but he’s said multiple times that he wants to stay in Charlotte. It’s hard for the Hornets to pass on that in favor of what could be a long and lengthy rebuild.

This could all change, though, if the Hornets season doesn’t go as planned. If Charlotte fails to make the playoffs again, or if Walker begins to grow frustrated with his situation, then opinions could change on what these two’s future will look like. Walker wants to win just as much as he wants to stay with the Hornets and he’ll likely demand a pretty expensive contact at the same time. It’s great that everybody wants to be together right now, but let’s see how they feel at the end of this season.

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