Why the Charlotte Hornets should NOT trade Kemba Walker
By Noah Driver
Some context to remember about Kemba:
-He’s under contract at the super-valuable rate of 12 million dollars for the 2018-19 season, but he’s unrestricted after that and will probably be paid a max salary.
-He’s 28 years old, and shorter guards are notorious for earlier and shorter peaks than other positions.
-Even in the NBA, a league full of hyper-competitive guys with super-high work ethics, Walker is known for his desire to get better and to compete at the highest level. Most consider him to be an incredible leadership/locker room asset as well.
Let’s start with the teams who absolutely don’t need Kemba, which is a surprisingly large percentage of the league:
Atlanta Hawks: Drafted Trae Young.
Boston Celtics: Kyrie.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Drafted Sexton.
Dallas Mavericks: Developing Dennis Smith Jr.
Denver Nuggets: You could argue they don’t have a PG, but they have Jamal Murray and Gary Harris.
Golden State Warriors: uh…
Houston Rockets: Have the Point God.
L.A. Clippers: Drafted SGA.
L.A. Lakers: Developing Lonzo (for now).
Memphis Grizzlies: Riding into the sunset with Conley.
Miami Heat: Dragic is probably near as good as Kemba if a bit older.
OKC Thunder: Russ.
Philadelphia 76ers: Simmons and Fultz (?).
Portland Trail Blazers: Dame Time.
Sacramento Kings: Developing SwipaTheFox.
Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry.
Utah Jazz: Rubio (don’t laugh–re-watch his series against OKC).
Washington Wizards: Wall. Plus, too much love in that locker room. Can’t break it up.
That’s 18 teams right off the bat.