The Charlotte Hornets could have a dicey situation on their hands, as reports of potentially dangling Kemba Walker in the trade market didn't sit well with the two-time All-Star point guard.
While no trade came to fruition, the front office is now concerned with their inability to offer him a new contract before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, due to the monstrous amount of salary tied up to this and next season.
Article Continues Below“We love Kemba Walker,” Vice president Curtis Polk said, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. “We would like nothing more than for Kemba to end his career here.”
Walker is currently making $12 million this season, a borderline steal of a salary for an All-Star player and one of the best point guards in the league. His averages of 22.9 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game are enough to entice many other teams to dart their best shot at luring the Bronx native to sign elsewhere.
The 6-foot-1 dynamo will be in the same unrestricted class as Klay Thompson, Kevin Love, and Jimmy Butler in 2019, the same year in which teammates Dwight Howard, Marvin Williams, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Jeremy Lamb will become UFAs.
The Hornets won't only have to give Walker the max available, but also try to bring in a big name to play alongside him, with the rest of the starting lineup expected to be gone after years of underperforming.
Walker will command a much larger sum for his services, but ultimately it'll be the franchise's commitment to making him the cornerstone player of this team that would convince him to stay.