The New York Knicks made a blockbuster trade on Thursday, a trade that could affect Charlotte Hornets star Kemba Walker’s impending free agency.
It’s been a pretty wild couple of days in the basketball world, just ask New York Knicks fans. The team made a bold move, trading away Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. It’s a move that I believe could have an impact on Charlotte Hornets star Kemba Walker‘s free agency this summer.
In case you missed it, the Knicks traded Porzingis to the Mavericks, along with Tim Hardaway Jr, Courtney Lee and Trey Burke. The Knicks received Dennis Smith Jr, DeAndre Jordan, Wes Matthews and future draft compensation in return.
Why do I believe it could have an impact on Walker? Well, New York did this move in order to shed some salary and create enough cap space to sign two star players in free agency over the summer.
Who are the Mavs' four new players? 🤔 Find out more about @kporzee, @T_HardJR, @CourtneyLee5, and @TreyBurke
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) February 1, 2019
and what each of them can bring to the team! #MFFL
➡️https://t.co/j9cZrFSGGY pic.twitter.com/6vxl2cuvUh
Yeah, that’s pretty important.
People have been talking about Walker going to the Knicks for years now, being that it’s his hometown team. Before the trade, the Knicks were projected to have one max salary slot open, now having two max slots will give star players, like Walker, the option of teaming up in a big market, which has got to be appealing.
Walker will likely not be the Knicks top target in free agency, but he is certainly someone that they will be keeping an eye on, especially if they can’t sign the likes of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Jimmy Butler.
If they can even sign at least one of those players, Kemba Walker would be a nice sidekick to pair with either of them. The Knicks are going to be players in free agency this year. Well, New York sure believes that they will be, that’s for sure.
New York is obviously taking a huge risk here by trading their best player in Kristaps Porzingis, but you get the impression that they must feel pretty darn confident in their chances of landing a star player in free agency. It’s a major risk, but a risk that could pay off in the future.
While Walker has stated throughout the season that he would like to remain a member of the Hornets, it’s definitely not a sure thing. The guy is a competitor, and is in the prime of his career. If the opportunity of teaming up with a star in free agency presents itself, it could be tough for him to turn down.
Losing Kemba Walker in free agency would be a nightmare for Charlotte Hornets fans. There’s still a lot of time between now and free agency, but if the Hornets get into the playoffs, the chances of retaining the star point guard could increase.
At the end of the day, all that matters in this business is wins and losses. Winning situations will come into play during Walker’s free agency, and even though the Knicks aren’t winners right now, that could change with a big free agency class.