Charlotte Hornets: Looking ahead to Kemba Walker’s impending free agency

Charlotte’s star point guard is on one of the best contracts in the NBA right now, but it’ll expire in two years. Is Buzz City prepared for Walker’s upcoming free agency?

The debate is far from settled, but personally, there is no question. All factors considered, Kemba Walker is the best player in franchise history. His salary and pay should reflect that. He’ll be 29, right in his prime as he hits the market. His game doesn’t seem too predicated on athleticism as well, and it should age gracefully with his arsenal of offensive weapons.

Walker would be a great investment as the face of the franchise. Allowing him the opportunity to continue the prime of his career here would surely remove all doubt to his status on the Hornets pantheon of all-time greats. As I see it, Cho would regret not offering Walker a contract extension at the end of his current one approaches.

Trade Him

When the Kyrie Irving saga took off, many hypothesized a possible Walker-for-Irving swap. Their comparable stat lines and similar play styles made them a match for plenty of pundits. Those who follow the Hornets closely seemed averse to trading him though, and I myself remain in that camp. Walker is a star point guard, and fielding a fair option for him would be a tall task.

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Especially if Walker is not traded this season, he would then be an expiring contract, even less valuable for trades. It would be a disrespectful slap in the face to Buzz City loyalists to trade him for pennies on the dollar.

Potential suitors would likely offer a trade package centered around the future. It should take nothing less than a highly-touted prospect, a first round pick, and a rotation player to move the needle for Charlotte. Teams like Denver or Detroit have the pieces for a trade like that, with Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Emmanuel Stanley Johnson, and Luke Kennard possibly available.

Let Him Walk(er)

It’s an unlikely possibility, as more and more teams are trading their stars before they have a chance to walk, but it just might be viable. While DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, and Jimmy Butler were all traded, other stars like Gordon Hayward went free. The Hornets could try and follow the Jazz, and go all in on winning a championship while Walker is under contract.

It would probably require trading away some valued prospects like Frank Kaminsky, certainly. But there’s a chance Charlotte could be competing for the Larry O’Brien sooner than you think.

If LeBron James leaves the Cavaliers, the East is wide open. Boston would be the next up, but they haven’t played together, and it may not work out. Toronto and Washington have rosters similar to Charlotte, and it’s not outlandish to suggest we’d win a seven game series. Milwaukee can’t stay healthy. Philadelphia is too young. With a few moves, Charlotte might push themselves into the East’s upper echelon.

So why not go all out to challenge for a title? If Walker isn’t amenable to signing an extension here, indicating long-term commitment, Charlotte has two years to jostle for contention. And even if moves that .are made don’t work out, it demonstrates a willingness to compete, which could potentially sway him to stay and win a ring.

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Rich Cho is a great GM. He’s surely thought ahead on what to do with Kemba’s future. Re-signing him, either with an extension or when he hits the market, is undoubtedly a priority. These are just three of the options that could be available in the future. I’d like to see Rich Cho try and utilize his masterful trading skill to find some complementary pieces for Walker to push for a title these last two guaranteed seasons. If he will? That remains to be seen.