Boston Celtics: B/R proposes Kemba Walker trade to Clippers

When the Boston Celtics landed Kemba Walker with a four-year, $140 million contract during the summer of 2019, they believed they were getting a prime replacement of similar status to that of their departing All-Star point guard, Kyrie Irving.

In today’s league, point guards run supreme and, if you have a stud at the one, you’re almost guaranteed to be a top-flight team.

For the first half of the 2019-20 campaign, Walker appeared to be an absolute gem of an addition, averaging 21.8 points, five assists, and 4.1 rebounds on nearly 39 percent shooting from the field which was good enough for his fourth-straight All-Star bid (second start) and helped aid in the C’s 39-16 record leading up to the ASG.

However, Walker would go on to sustain a nagging knee injury in the second half of the season, which lessened his production considerably (14.4 points, 3.8 assists, 2.8 rebounds on 34 percent shooting from deep) and forced him to receive a stem cell injection in his left knee in the offseason that would keep him sidelined for the first month of action in 2020-21.

Now, a little under three months removed from his return to action, though Kemba does appear to have flashes of his old self every now and again, ultimately, his overall play is backing up the idea that he is the worst contract currently found on Boston’s roster.

With this, many are taking to the Twitterverse to discuss what they’d be willing to take back in a hypothetical offseason trade involving the fallen star which, at this point, often resembles something close to a bag of peanuts and a half-eaten box of donuts.

Bleacher Report recently entered the conversation discussing what a return deal for the 30-year-old guard could look like and, in their opinion, a deal could be found with the Los Angeles Clippers.

B/R believes a Kemba deal could be made between the Boston Celtics and LA Clippers

The exact metrics of B/R’s trade proposal reads as follows:

Citing LA’s need for an upgrade a point guard and the desire of the Boston Celtics to bolster their frontcourt with big men, writer Zach Buckley believes this specific trade could wind up being mutually beneficial, both for the franchises and their star players:

"How about a four-time All-Star who is having a down year yet still averaging 18.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.8 three-pointers per game? When Walker has his legs under him, he’s a full-fledged problem at the offensive end. Let him work isolation magic and spot up for stretches alongside Leonard and George, and Walker could be the shot in the arm that L.A. is (for some reason) hoping Rondo will be."

"The Celtics, meanwhile, would better outfit their roster for the strengths and weaknesses of young star wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Zubac is a low-maintenance, subtly high-impact center who contributes at both ends and happens to be on the same timeline as the Brown-Tatum tandem. If Zubac becomes a foundational piece, Boston could be a force for a while.Boston would also get backcourt boosts for now and later. In the shorter term, Beverley would supplement the Celtics’ stars with spot-up sniping and form a treacherous twosome on defense with Marcus Smart. Longer term, Luke Kennard could breathe life into a bench mob that often struggles to score and he’d also team with Payton Pritchard to give Boston two young guards who can shoot and create for their teammates."

In the Houdini’s humble opinion, we don’t believe Ivica Zubac is much better than Tristan Thompson currently is (who we see heading the La La Land in the exchange) and is certainly not better than Boston’s current starting five, Robert Williams III.

That said, should Ainge desperately wish to shed Walker’s remaining two years under contract, landing a 24-year-old, 7-0 big as well as two competent floor-spacing role players doesn’t seem like the worst idea to consider, especially if there are no other takers.

What say you Boston Celtics fans?!