The Charlotte Hornets have looked the part of a playoff team in the Eastern Conference in the early going of the 2018-19 season and star point guard Kemba Walker is the biggest reason why. Walker, operating in his age-28 season, is off to a tremendous start, averaging 28.1 points, 5.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. There is absolutely no question that he is the best player on the Hornets roster.
With that said, there have been all kinds of rumors surrounding Walker and a potential trade over the last few months, largely driven by the fact that his contract will expire at the end of this season. However, Shams Charania of The Athletic (h/t ProBasketballTalk) reported this week that Michael Jordan and Charlotte’s front office seemingly have other ideas at this juncture.
Teams inquiring about Kemba Walker this offseason received the same message, league sources said: the Hornets are committed to contending for a playoff berth with Walker as the face of the franchise. For now, Michael Jordan has a strong desire to re-sign Walker as a free agent next summer, and teams around the NBA have recognized as much.
On one hand, it isn’t a surprise that a team with playoff aspirations wouldn’t be looking to deal its best player. Walker has the ability to keep Charlotte in the conversation all season long and, in recent years, it would be easy to argue that the Hornets have been snakebitten by poorly timed injuries and other circumstances, rather than the simple reality that the roster wasn’t playoff-worthy.
Still, there is an argument against holding on to Walker, as Charlotte’s upside isn’t overly impressive in the moment and the team doesn’t appear capable of seriously challenging for a deep playoff run in the very near future. Beyond that, Walker will hit free agency at the age of 29 in July and, while he has been incredibly important to the organization since arriving as a lottery pick in 2011, a gigantic contract investment might be a misstep given his age and size.
On paper, the Hornets have a difficult decision to make, as “selling high” on Walker for a large return would make sense before February’s trade deadline. It seems as if Jordan and company may have made their final decision already, though, and it will be interesting to see what happens in July when it comes to Walker’s next contract.
