The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off the first big trade of the NBA offseason on Friday with the Boston Celtics. Oklahoma City acquired Kemba Walker, along with the Celtics’ 2021 first-round pick, in exchange for Al Horford and Moses Brown. The teams will also swap future second-round picks in the deal.
It was reported once the Celtics’ season ended in the first round against the Brooklyn Nets that a divorce could soon occur between Walker and the team. With Brad Stevens taking over in the front office, it was assumed there would be some player movement to follow and Walker was the first move.
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It is an interesting landing spot for Walker, as the Thunder could use his veteran presence and scoring ability in the backcourt alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, there are questions as to whether or not the Thunder will keep him, as they are still in the early stages of their rebuild.
If they do indeed want to move Walker, one team to keep an eye on is the New York Knicks. NBA Analysis Network’s own Brett Siegel shared the update on Twitter.
The Knicks have a huge hole to fill at point guard, as Elfrid Payton looks to be heading out the door this offseason. The team could retain Derrick Rose in NBA free agency, but he was thriving off the bench during the season before being inserted into the starting lineup during the team’s first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks.
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While Walker would provide an upgrade for the Knicks, it is hard to imagine they would send assets to Oklahoma City for him after seeing what the Celtics attached to rid themselves of his contract.
Had New York wanted Kemba Walker, they would have probably tried acquiring him themselves along with the extra draft picks from Boston. Walker will probably be on the backburner for the team as there are several free-agent point guards they could pursue and the possibility of trading for Damian Lillard still looms.
