Former Boston Celtics starting point guard signs deal in Italy

Former Boston Celtics starting point guard Kemba Walker, who was a starter in the NBA All-Star Game his first season with the Cs, will be leaving the states to sign a deal with the Olimpia Milano basketball team Eurohoops reports.

Walker was most recently a member of the Dallas Mavericks after being waived by the Detroit Pistons last offseason. He had been used in a salary dump along with Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel in order for the New York Knicks to create the cap room needed to sign Jalen Brunson.

His last game in the NBA (for now) was coincidentally against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, January 5 in a primetime win for the Cs on national television. Had Brad Stevens not traded his contract in June 2021, Walker would be in the final year of a four-year deal he signed with former Boston GM Danny Ainge in 2019.

Trading Kemba Walker was the best thing for the Boston Celtics

By all accounts, Kemba Walker is a stand-up man and well-respected by his peers. The Houdini would’ve loved to see him thrive in Boston, but ultimately, trading him away was the best thing the franchise could’ve done at the time and especially at this moment.

Walker’s knee injuries caused issues during his time with the Cs, causing him to miss 25 games his first season in green and 35 in his second. Without his consistent presence in the lineup, Marcus Smart was thrust into the point guard role by default.

Luckily, Smart figuratively and literally took the ball and ran with it, allowing the front office to explore trades in the offseason. The big swing Brad Stevens used Walker’s deal for in his first month in charge of player movement was to bring back Al Horford, who served as a pillar on both ends of the floor during the team’s run to the NBA Finals in 2022.

Truthfully, trading Walker and giving the keys of the offense to Smart while bringing back an important locker room presence was the defining move of Stevens’ time as President of Basketball Operations.

With that said, it’d be great to see Walker return one day in a reserve role to provide leadership to a group that always embraced his presence. Never say never, especially since Stevens has been known to bring back guys he once coached.