Kemba Walker and the Boston Celtics are one of the biggest disappointments in the 2020-21 season. They are currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, tied with their Eastern Conference Championship foes, the Miami Heat, with a record of 23-24. No one could have predicted they would be looking up at teams such as the Charlotte Hornets, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks in the standings at this point in the season.
Boston has two All-Stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, but the rest of the roster leaves something to be desired. Danny Ainge has taken responsibility for the team’s shortcomings, but failed to address them before the NBA Trade Deadline.
The only move that the Celtics made was bringing in Evan Fournier. Fournier is a nice player, but won’t move the needle much in terms of making Boston contenders in the Eastern Conference again.
The Celtics don’t currently have a roster that can compete with the upper echelon teams in the conference, let alone the league. That will likely result in some big moves this upcoming offseason, with Kemba Walker being at the middle of those discussions.
According to NBA Analysis Network’s own Evan Massey, a former NBA executive said the team has been shopping Walker and will likely try again, and be successful, this offseason.
The Celtics have become the kings of almost pulling the trigger. Ainge said they were close on some deals this season, as they almost pulled the trigger on a deal for Myles Turner. They were in the running for All-Stars in previous seasons but couldn’t get a deal done.
There should be plenty of teams looking for a point guard this offseason, so there could be a market for Walker. The Celtics are unlikely to receive much in the way of compensation, as Walker will be 31 in May and he has had his struggles this season following offseason surgery.
Walker is also owed nearly $74 million the next two seasons, with a $37,653,300 player option for the 2022-23 season. That will be a tough sell for some teams, as it is hard to imagine Walker turning down that player option next summer.
There were a few teams, such as the Chicago Bulls and LA Clippers, that showed interest in Kemba Walker this year. They could still be in the market for a point guard in the offseason and are two teams to keep an eye on as things unfold.
