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Boston Celtics: Kemba Walker’s trade value reaches all-time low

By Jack Simone

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 02: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics looks on from half court by the team logo during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden on March 2, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 02: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics looks on from half court by the team logo during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at TD Garden on March 2, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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The trade market for Boston Celtics point guard, Kemba Walker, is worse than ever.

Last week, reports surfaced that the fallen star is “now not seen as an asset” around the NBA. Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst detailed this news for ESPN, while C’s staff writer, Jared Weiss, provided some insight for The Athletic (membership required).

That alone tanked Walker’s value around the league, but the recent news of him and the team wanting to part ways puts Boston in an even tougher position. The reports, detailed by Farbod Esnaashari of Bleacher Report, trace back to the 2020 NBA Draft, where Danny Ainge supposedly tried to trade Walker.

If teams around the league already saw him as a negative asset, this news makes trading Walker for a positive return nearly impossible. Boston finding a taker for the former All-Star will be tough, and they may have to attach picks in order to get off his salary.

When a team sees that a player wants to leave an organization, they aren’t willing to give up as much to get that player. They know that the Boston Celtics are looking to deal Walker and will most likely be forced to by the end of the offseason.

With Walker’s value already at an all-time low due to his massive contract and injury history, the fact that this news got leaked puts Brad Stevens in an even trickier situation.

While there are some options that could be mutually beneficial for both teams, the likely scenario is that Boston will be forced to dump Walker onto a bad team.

Teams such as the Magic, Thunder, and Rockets come to mind, but the issue is that the Boston Celtics would have to dip into their draft assets to get a deal done.

Sam Presti is known for taking on bad contracts in exchange for picks, while the Magic and Rockets are both in full rebuild mode as well.

Other teams that could come out of the woodworks include both the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers. Minnesota could lose their first-round pick to Golden State this year, so if the Cs attach the 16th overall pick alongside Walker it may be enough to get a deal done.

As for the Trailblazers, if they decide to hit the reset button, taking on Walker’s contract and a few picks might help jumpstart that process.

Brad Stevens has some tough decisions ahead of him in his first year as the General Manager of the Boston Celtics. Hopefully he can salvage a rough situation and trade Walker for some value.

Otherwise, this organization could be headed down a dark rabbit hole.

Next. 2 offseason trades for Cs to land Damian Lillard. dark

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