The first major personnel move of the Boston Celtics’ offseason came late last week. Kemba Walker was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal that brought Al Horford back to Boston. Walker and the Celtics were headed for a parting of ways, but Oklahoma City was a surprising landing spot. That said, the Thunder may quickly flip Walker to a contending team.

Walker spent the last two seasons with the Celtics. After the 2020 All-Star Game, he said he had to have his left knee drained and he received an injection to relieve pain. Then during the shortened offseason last offseason, he had to have a procedure on the same knee. He didn’t make his season debut this season until January. He never played on back-to-back nights, on his way to playing just 43 regular season games.

During Boston’s first round loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Walker’s knee issue came up again. He missed the last two games of the series, and wasn’t very good in the three games he did play. In those three games, he averaged 12.7 points per game while shooting 31.7 percent from the floor and 3-for-17 from 3-point range (0-for-10 in Games 2 and 3).

The Celtics Had A Kemba Walker Problem

Walker’s knee is clearly an issue that’s not going away. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Celtics had real concerns about the knee. Amid “such concerns”, per Woj, they wondered “how much he would really be available for them and able to play at a really high level” over the next two seasons.” 

Walker may not be long for Oklahoma City, as they have recent history of being a stepping stone for players to go elsewhere. But he could be a valuable player for them, if only for one season or a partial season if he’s healthy.

Questions about Walker’s knee, and his apparent strained relationship with Brad Stevens, created a tough situation for the Celtics. But they’ve alleviated that problem, while creating a little financial flexibility moving forward.