Recently, rumors about the Charlotte Hornets breaking their core up by trading Kemba Walker started surfacing. Walker was not the only player the Hornets are willing to move but is by far the most attractive to opposing front offices.
In an update to the story, Ian Begley from ESPN reports the Hornets are interested in having discussions about Walker with the New York Knicks. As Begley says, there have not been any conversations between front offices yet. He adds a deal that benefits both parties could be hard to come given what the Hornets want in return for Walker:
“It seems unlikely at this point that the Knicks will want to meet Charlotte's desired return. Charlotte is hoping a Walker trade returns a good young player or a first-round pick… The Knicks have first-round draft picks and a promising young player in Frank Ntilikina. But the other part of Charlotte's request is a holdup for the Knicks. Wojnarowski reports that Charlotte appears eager to shed one of its less desirable contracts. That would mean the Knicks would likely need to take on extra salary to acquire Walker, which was something New York was hesitant to do in trading Carmelo Anthony over the summer.”
Carrying a terrible contract themselves in Joakim Noah's, adding more big salaries to their payroll is the last thing the Knicks want to do. Walker's cheap deal eases moving another big contract along with him.
Walker has strong ties to the Big Apple, as he was born in Bronx and attended high school in New York. The 9th overall pick of the 2011 NBA Draft is averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 1.2 steals a game this season. And that is not even the best part; Walker is under contract for one and a half more seasons, receiving $12 million dollars per year. That is a bargain for his level of play.
The Knicks could really use a Kemba Walker, Tim Hardaway Jr., Michael Beasley, Kristaps Porzingis and Enes Kanter lineup to clinch one of the bottom four playoff spots in the weaker Eastern Conference.
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