Reports surfaced on Wednesday that Kemba Walker and the Boston Celtics are nearing a breakup this offseason after a disappointing campaign.
However, the C's apparently tried shipping him off to the Spurs at the trade deadline in March in exchange for LaMarcus Aldridge, according to SI's Chris Mannix. By no surprise, Kemba wasn't too pleased.
“The Celtics front office was looking for a way to get out from under that contract, and ultimately were not able to do that despite having conversations with multiple teams over the last several months,” Mannix said. “That frustrated Kemba Walker.”
“Kemba is among the most loyal guys you're going to find in professional sports… so for Kemba to hear his name and understand his name was in trade rumors, that absolutely has frustrated him over the last six-to-eight months.”
Walker dealt with several different injuries throughout the course of the season, averaging 19.3 points and four assists per night. His health was certainly a glaring issue for the Celtics. Aldridge meanwhile, ended up in Brooklyn but retired due to a heart condition.
Kemba Walker has been with the Celtics since the summer of 2019 after coming over from the Charlotte Hornets. There's definitely potential still there for the veteran alongside franchise stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but the organization doesn't seem very keen on keeping him at this point. We'll have to ultimately see how the offseason plays out.