Kemba Walker’s time with the New York Knicks appears to have come to an end. After the team decided to hold onto him at the trade deadline, a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN indicated that New York will keep him on the sidelines for the remainder of the season with an eye on figuring out what to do with him this coming offseason.
According to Wojnarowski’s report, the idea is to let Walker focus on getting to 100 percent ahead of next offseason, when he’ll be on an expiring contract. Eventually, the Knicks confirmed the report via a statement in which they indicated that this decision was made by Walker.
“We fully support Kemba’s decision to shut it down for the remainder of the season and to use this time to prepare for next season,” the Knicks said. “His long-term success on the court remains our priority.”
A New York native, Walker was viewed as backcourt reinforcements for a Knicks team that looked to build on a successful 2020-21 campaign. Instead, Walker’s tenure in New York has been marred by inconsistency, as he’s experienced some on-court highs but has seen head coach Tom Thibodeau drop him from the rotation on several occasions.
Walker is averaging 11.6 points and 3.5 assists in 25.6 minutes per game this season.
