Point guard free agent Kemba Walker could be a possible fit for the New Orleans Hornets, according to Sports Illustrated columnist Shams Charania.
The Hornets picked Walker ninth overall in the 2011 NBA draught, and he spent his first eight seasons with the team before signing as a free agent with Boston in 2019. A knee injury has kept him out of the All-Star game since joining the Celtics last season, but he has made three All-Star teams during his time in Charlotte.
During the offseason of 2021, Walker was traded from Boston to Oklahoma City and then bought out by the Thunder and signed with the New York Knicks. New York, on the other hand, restricted him to just 37 games and he didn’t look like his old self. There are rumors circulating that he’ll be traded again, but for the time being, the 32-year-old is still on the Detroit Pistons’ official roster.
Even though Walker has been bought out twice in the last two years, the Hornets could theoretically offer him more than a minimum-wage contract in free agency. The Hornets have their full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions at their disposal.
One of the Hornets’ 13 standard-contract players is a true point guard, LaMelo Ball, but Terry Rozier will also be expected to handle the ball. One of Charlotte’s two remaining roster spots is likely to be filled by a point guard.
In addition to Isaiah Thomas, the Hornets are considering bringing him back as a player and a team leader, according to Charania. In the 17 games he played for the Hornets last season, Thomas averaged 8.3 points per game while shooting.433,397, and.933 from the 3-point range.
There is no rush to fill the two roster spots left open by Miles Bridges’ legal issues, according to Charania.
