With Kyrie Irving and Al Horford appearing to be on their way out, the Boston Celtics are set to have enough cap room to sign a max free agent this summer, something the Celtics did not anticipate.
One free agent Boston reportedly has its eye on? Kemba Walker, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
This definitely makes sense, as Walker would fill the void left by Irving, and he still has plenty left in the tank at 29 years old.
Here are three reasons why Kemba Walker would be a perfect for the Boston Celtics.
3. Great Locker Room Guy
Unless you've been on a year-long hiatus from anything basketball related, you know by now that the biggest problem with the Celtics this past season was locker room issues, issues that were largely facilitated by Irving.
The good news with Walker is that Boston would almost surely not have to worry about that type of thing happening.
By all indications, Walker is an incredible locker room guy and teammate and has a sparkling personality that people have loved ever since he was at UConn.
Walker would step right in and provide a terrific leader for a Celtics team that desperately needs one with Horford also making his unexpected exit.
2. A No. 1 Scorer
With Kyrie Irving leaving, Boston does not really have an established No. 1 scorer at the moment.
Of course, Gordon Hayward has been a No. 1 option in the past, but he had a rough year making his way back from his gruesome broken leg injury, so it remains to be seen how he rebounds next season.
Jayson Tatum certainly has it in him to be a top guy, but he just turned 21 in March and has not yet proven he can handle that role.
We know for sure Kemba Walker is a No. 1, as he is coming off a season in which he averaged 25.6 points per game. He could also replicate what Irving did for the Celtics in fourth quarters, as Walker is one of the best closers in basketball.
1. It Worked in Kyrie's First Year
Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving are very similar players. Irving is certainly better due to his superior efficiency, but stylistically, they mirror each other quite a bit, with Walker relying a bit more on his quickness and Irving depending more on his handles.
With how poorly the Celtics played this season, it's easy to forget how good they were in Kyrie's first year with the team during the 2017-18 campaign. Irving seemed to fit in perfectly and helped lead Boston to 55 wins before a knee procedure in March knocked him out for the playoffs.
Then, once Irving returned this season following the C's making a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, egos got in the way, resulting in the maddeningly inconsistent product we received.
Who knows where the Celtics would be right now had Kyrie not missed last year's playoffs.
So, if Boston is able to land Walker, it can potentially pick up right where it left off at the end of 2018. Except this time, the C's wouldn't have such a clashing of egos in the locker room.
Follow Us
Subscribe