Predicting landing spots for 2 recent Boston Celtics players

Former Boston Celtics player No. 1) Kemba Walker

Just a few short years back during the summer of 2019, the Boston Celtics felt as though they acquired their franchise point guard of the future. One who would take the reigns over for the estranged and recently departed Kyrie Irving and help compliment the likes of Tatum and Brown and formulate one of the league’s most menacing Big 3’s.

Right from the jump, this new addition appeared to be working wonders, as the C’s boasted a first-half record of 28-14 and saw both Walker and Tatum being selected to the season’s All-Star game.

The team was looking far more fluid and upbeat than they did during the season prior while the newly acquired guard was playing some of the best basketball of his career.

Unfortunately, from then on out, knee injuries started to unravel and completely ruined the groove that both Walker and the C’s were developing.

The Celtics and Walker lasted one more season together before the lower-body ailments became too much, and the front office opted to part ways with the remaining years of his contract, trading him to the OKC Thunder where he would then be bought out by the rebuilding club.

The NY Knicks quickly scooped him up off the free agency market in hopes of having him tap back into something close to his All-Star form and, in turn, address their own needs for a permanent solution at the one.

Unfortunately, even with his hometown team, Kemba could not manage to find consistency both with his play and health, and, after just one year into his two-year deal with the franchise, New York dealt him to Detroit where his fate currently hangs in the balance.

In all likelihood, it appears that the Pistons will ultimately end up buying the 32-year-old out which, for the second offseason in a row, will then make him a free agent.

Should this wind up happening, though we don’t believe he’d warrant a ton of attention from teams across the league, one organization, in particular, could, and reportedly is interested in snatching him up.

This, of course, leads directly into our prediction for where he will wind up landing for the upcoming season.

Predicted landing spot: Charlotte Hornets

Prior to signing with the Boston Celtics back in 2019, Kemba Walker spent the first eight years of his career with the Charlotte Hornets, becoming a 3x All-Star, an All-NBA selection, and, quite simply, one of the greatest players the franchise has ever seen.

Upon his departure from the team, it came out that, had the guard received the type of offer he was eligible for ($221 million), he would have likely wound up staying with the organization, as he had shown nothing but appreciation for the team and the community during his tenure there.

Fast forward a few years later, if he were to land on the open market, perhaps he would consider reuniting with the Hornets and, as we said earlier, the Hornets might be interested in a reunion with him.

Considering the team’s need for a veteran presence and backup point guard behind both LaMelo Ball and Terry Rosier, coupled with Walker’s familiarity with the club and its culture, this pairing could be a great idea both from a morale and roster depth standpoint.

Throughout his final four years with the organization, the point guard posted sensational averages of 23 points, 5.5 assists, four boards, and 1.3 steals per contest on 38 percent shooting from distance.

Now, are we insinuating that Walker would come anywhere close to these types of numbers if he were to return to Charlotte? Absolutely not.

That said, he did show flashes during his 2021-22 stint in New York, and, considering he was shut down for the remainder of the season way back in February, the vet could finally find himself coming into a season with fresh legs for the first time in years, which, in theory, could bode well from a health perspective.

On top of all this, with the PR nightmare and potential internal ramifications that have/ could come due to the Miles Bridges situation, a feel-good story such as this reunion could have a far greater impact than just what could come about on the basketball court.