This offseason is surely going to be full of well-known players being on the move and we have already seen some of this occur as the Oklahoma City Thunder were the first team to be a part of a big trade this NBA offseason. A few weeks ago, the Thunder and the Celtics agreed on a deal that would send Kemba Walker to OKC and Al Horford back to Boston.
In this deal, Kemba Walker, the 16th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and a 2025 2nd Round pick went to the Thunder and Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 2nd Round Pick went to the Celtics. In Brad Stevens first big move as general manager of the Boston Celtics, it still feels weird to say this, he was able to unload Walker’s salary while getting a key contributor back into their rotation.
Horford spent three seasons in Boston from 2016-2019 and was a key contributor for them in the frontcourt, averaging 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and shooting 49.8% from the floor, 38.2% from long-range.
While they have Robert Williams and Tristan Thompson in their frontcourt, adding both Horford and Brown gives the Celtics more big man depth to possibly make more moves in the offseason.
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As for the Thunder, well now they have Kemba Walker after the trade, but who knows what they plan on doing with him. They could potentially keep him and pair him with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the 2021-22 season to act as a veteran presence and leader for a very young team looking to gain experience, but they could also be preparing to ship him somewhere else again.
Kemba Walker’s knee issues have been long documented since his days at UConn, which is why some teams have been skeptical about his long-term durability.
When healthy, he is a great point guard, but can he still be the All-Star talent that he was not too long ago? Kemba turned 31 in May this year and still has about $73.6M left on his contract through the 2022-23 season, which is why many teams may not be willing to take a chance on him.
READ MORE: Predictions for NBA Trade Rumors: Beal, Lillard, McCollum, Porzingis & Siakam
However, the New York Knicks need a point guard, they need someone who can score and they have a ton of available cap space, so will they possibly make a play at Walker should they fail to get one of their primary targets in free agency?
It is very possible that New York could have Walker on their radar, which is why an offseason trade could be in the works in the near future between the Knicks and Thunder. With this said, let’s take a look at what the Knicks could possibly offer up in a Kemba Walker trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
