With free agency approaching, the talk isn’t about the NBA Finals. It’s about the off-season and free agency. Charlotte Hornets star point guard Kemba Walker will be a free agent this summer. But Walker has made his intentions clear and is willing to take less than the supermax to stay in Charlotte.
More from Kemba Walker on upcoming free agency.
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) June 13, 2019
*Says #Hornets No. 1 priority
*Prepared to play elsewhere
*Would be willing to take less than Super Max to help team-build pic.twitter.com/pvlTVihxl9
I asked Kemba Walker if he would take less than the Super Max to help #Hornets team build around him: “Yeah I would take less. Sure why not. I would take less.” pic.twitter.com/3vzNWw8Ntf
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) June 13, 2019
Walker Shouldn’t Be Criticized For His Loyalty To The Hornets
Quite a few are questioning why Walker said what he said because they know the Hornets aren’t in position to contend at the moment. But they’re the same people who criticize others for not being loyal. Walker has spent eight seasons in Charlotte, and maybe he wants to stay simply because he loves it.
There also could be other reasons why Walker wants to remain with the Hornets. Some players dream about spending their entire career with one team. They want to be similar to Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tim Duncan (to name a few) in that regard.
So folks shouldn’t criticize Walker for his loyalty. They should be applauding it because he’ll be a star that wants to stay where he’s at. Obviously, the Hornets still will likely offer Walker the supermax anyway, but just him saying that he’ll take less than the supermax, tells Charlotte his mind is on staying.
Hornets Have Well Documented Bad Contracts On The Books
Right now, it’s going to be tough for the Hornets to build around Walker. Nicolas Batum‘s contract is hurting them, along with the $15 million player option Marvin Williams picked up this week. Hornets center Bismack Biyombo has also picked up his $17 million player option for next season. That’s the final year of the four-year, $68 million deal he received from the Orlando Magic.
Supermax or something slightly less than that, it appears Walker will remain with the Hornets. Until Charlotte gains much needed cap relief in 2021, they’ll have to rely on draft picks to be competitive. Unless they decide to attach assets to rid themselves of bad contracts, they’ll have to rely on Malik Monk, Miles Bridges, and Jeremy Lamb to help Walker out.
If Walker Stays, It Would Be A Victory For The NBA And Charlotte
The NBA brought the supermax deal into the league not long ago for this purpose. To make sure stars don’t get together and form super teams and try to establish some parity. Even though Walker isn’t an elite star, he’s still a star nonetheless.
So to the NBA and the city of Charlotte, keeping Walker would be huge. Let’s say if he didn’t want to stay with the Hornets. Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, who both are start hunting this summer, would easily pursue him.
That would leave the Hornets franchise, another small market franchise, in ruins. Plus, the NBA, small market teams, and their respective cities want any victory they can get. Keeping Walker in Charlotte would definitely be that victory they want to get.
