The last time Kemba Walker played for a team in New England, he brought home a championship. Fans in Boston can only hope history repeats itself.
Per multiple reports, Walker has agreed to sign a four-year maximum contract with the Celtics. A source told the Associated Press on Sunday that it’s likely that Walker will be part of a trade that would send Terry Rozier from Boston to Charlotte on a three-year, $58 million deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the moves have not been finalized.
ESPN has received information from Excel Sports agent Jeff Schwartz that free agent Kemba Walker has consented to a four-year, $141M maximum contract with the Boston Celtics.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
The Charlotte Observer first reported that Walker had informed the Hornets of his decision.
Eight years ago, Walker led UConn to an NCAA title and was recently in a position to potentially earn a ‘supermax’ total of $221 million over five years. This opportunity was triggered after he received All-NBA Third Team honors at the end of the season. This followed his third All-Star appearance and a career-high average of 25.6 points per game (43.4 FG%; 35.6 3P%), in addition to 4.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.2 steals in 34.9 minutes.
Earlier this month, Walker expressed his willingness to accept less than the supermax figure to assist Charlotte in roster construction, indicating that the Hornets would be his “first priority” in free agency. However, following reports that the Hornets’ offer fell short of $170 million, it’s evident that Walker redirected his focus, as he previously mentioned he would.
“Walker stated earlier this month, “I’m not committing to re-signing with them… I’m certainly ready to play elsewhere if things don’t work out.”
That somewhere else turned out to be Boston.
This makes perfect sense in many ways. The Celtics have been preparing for the potential departure of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, and now they have a three-time All-Star, Walker, to fill the starting position. Furthermore, Walker, who is still held in high regard after leading the Huskies to the 2011 NCAA title, played his college basketball in Storrs, Connecticut, which is less than 90 miles from Boston. In that championship game, UConn defeated Butler, whose coach at the time was Brad Stevens, who is now the Celtics’ coach.
The Hornets will suffer a significant setback with Walker’s departure, especially if a last-minute sign-and-trade doesn’t occur, which seems unlikely. This means they will lose their star player without any compensation. This comes on the heels of backup point guard Tony Parker’s announcement of his retirement from the NBA. Parker, who made a name for himself with San Antonio, had been playing with Charlotte the previous season.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
