Kemba Walker found himself leaving the only team he's ever played for in the NBA, a painful process after a max-level offer seemed all but secure when he qualified for the supermax provision after making the All-NBA Third Team. Yet the Charlotte Hornets did not offer that, as owner Michael Jordan was only willing to dole out a subpar five-year, $160 million offer, which he declined, turning to the Boston Celtics as his next destination.
Walker doesn't resent Jordan for making such a low-ball offer, which happened soon after general manager Mitch Kupchak said the team would intend to stay under the cap, which meant not only that Walker would get no supermax (five years, $221 million), but also no help within the roster.
“It’s not disappointing because I understand the business side of things,” Walker told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “I’m not mad at MJ or the organization for anything. I understand it. You have to look at both sides at the end of the day. Could MJ have went over the luxury tax? Yeah, he could have. But why?
“At the end of the day, you have to see both sides of it. That’s what helped me wrap my head around not being around Charlotte anymore. I loved Charlotte. I had to shift my mindset more as free agency got close. I had some priorities and places I wanted to go and didn’t want to go if I didn’t stay in Charlotte, and that’s when Boston even came on the scene. It got real, like, ‘Damn, I can really be a Celtic.’”
Jordan has run his franchise with an iron first since buying a majority stake on the team, and while he's been appreciate of Walker, he wasn't willing to shell out the motherlode for his services. That, along the potential of once again missing the playoffs, convinced Walker to sign for even less money than Jordan offered, by taking a chance with the Celtics.
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