Today (December 15th) is the first day former Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker is eligible to be traded after signing a contract with the New York Knicks this past summer after being bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Walker was traded for Al Horford and turned into a veteran free agent that had the capacity to help a contender in a limited role.
Well, the Knicks are certainly not that contender after a 12-16 start that has them on the outside of the NBA Play-in picture as of right now. Walker also might not have such capacity with NY, who benched the Bronx-born point guard and removed him from the rotation.
Tom Thibodeau did that with few alternatives to actually take over at the position. That’s how desperate he was to phase Walker out of his game plan moving forward.
Look, we are not even two calendar years removed from Walker starting for the Eastern Conference in the 2020 All-Star game. The former National Champion and first-team All-American in 2011 should still be able to help a team win games, and just because the Knicks aren’t that team doesn’t mean his career is over.
These 3 landing spots would offer Walker the chance to redeem his career and contribute to a team going places in 2021-22:
Kemba Walker landing spot #1: Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are holding steady in the #6 seed in the Western Conference with a 15-13 record, but expectations were way higher than the results are delivering early on in the 2021-22 season.
Russell Westbrook has been a tenuous fit with the Lake Show, particularly over the last three games, where he has averaged 12 points and over five turnovers per game in that stretch.
Walker wouldn’t replace Westbrook, but he’d provide another playmaker for a team that LeBron James cannot single-handedly lead like he has other squads in the past.