Since the 2018 NBA offseason, rumors and speculations continue to circulate around All-Star point guard Kemba Walker and his future with the Charlotte Hornets. Walker may have expressed his desire to create something special in Charlotte, but after they failed to reach the postseason for the third straight year, he also said that he wanted to play for a team that can at least compete in the playoffs. When the 2018-19 NBA season officially ended, Walker revealed that the Hornets will be his No. 1 priority in the 2019 NBA free agency.
However, despite expressing his intention to stay and give the Hornets a discount, most people still see Kemba Walker leaving Charlotte for a legitimate title contender this summer. As of now, one of the NBA teams who have expressed strong interest in acquiring Walker is the Los Angeles Lakers. According to Ryan Phillips of The Big Lead , the Lakers will go “full-bore” in their pursuit of Walker in free agency.
“The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly plan to go full-bore after Walker when free agency opens. He is shaping up to be their top target. While they can’t offer a super max contract or even a regular max contract, the Lakers can offer the opportunity to play with two All-Stars. Suiting up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis would certainly enhance Walker’s profile in the NBA. But he’d have to give up a significant chunk of cash to do it.”
. @KembaWalker answered 2 huge questions Thursday: How much of an advantage do the @hornets hold in free-agency and must they offer the full supermax to re-sign him: https://t.co/9CPmKnsSJL
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) June 13, 2019
After using Lonzo Ball as a trade chip to acquire Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans, and with Rajon Rondo also hitting the free agency market, it definitely makes a lot of sense for the Lakers to target Kemba Walker. Walker would not only immediately fill the void left by Ball and Rondo in their backcourt, but he would also give the Lakers a very reliable scoring option next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Last season, the 29-year-old point guard played all 82 games, where he averaged 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.2 steals on 43.4 percent shooting from the field, and 35.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
As of now, the Lakers are still finding ways to create enough salary cap space for a max free agent. However, if Kemba Walker is open to take a pay cut for the Hornets, there is a strong chance that he’s also willing to do the same with the Lakers, especially if he’s really interested in teaming up with Anthony Davis and LeBron James in Los Angeles.
Walker may want to remain loyal with the Hornets, but at this point in his NBA career, he would better off joining a legitimate title contender than staying on the mediocre team like Charlotte.
