Kemba Walker

Prediction: Gets traded to the Los Angeles Lakers

The Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder put together what was by far the earliest NBA offseason trade in recent memory. Before the Conference Semifinals had even come to a close, Kemba Walker and Al Horford headlined a deal that both teams finalized.

When evaluating the landscape of potential suitors for Kemba Walker, the list will not be extensive. There are concerns about the health of his knee, which makes the idea of taking on his massive contract for the next three years a troubling outcome for many teams.

According to a report from ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the Clippers and Lakers are both expected to consider making a move for Walker.

“I think both the L.A. teams are going to be sniffing around Kemba Walker.”

It’s difficult to envision the Clippers having any assets that would be intriguing to the Thunder. It would be a challenge to justify pulling off a trade for a guard with knee concerns when the team already has to manage Kawhi Leonard’s ongoing maintenance of his body.

Some may say that it would change for the Clippers if Leonard were to depart in NBA free agency since the team would need to find a co-star to pair with Paul George. Something to take into consideration, the Thunder are relying heavily on the future of the Clippers to not be successful given they own so many of their future picks. Why help them sustain greater regular season success?

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: 3 trade packages to send Damian Lillard to Philadelphia 76ers

The Lakers make far more sense as a trade partner for the Thunder to engage in a deal centered around Kemba Walker. The team also has some younger players like Talen Horton-Tucker that could be of interest to Oklahoma City. While the Clippers could struggle to retain Reggie Jackson, the Lakers will have to make some tough decisions surrounding Dennis Schroder as he enters NBA free agency, too.

There is little reason to doubt Kemba Walker getting re-routed to a new team. He does not align at all with the long-term rebuilding efforts the Thunder have committed to and the team can capitalize on scarcity of impact players at the point guard position if a contender were to be left empty handed in NBA free agency.