I love Kemba Walker. I also love the Boston Celtics. Seeing one of my all time favorite players get traded from my favorite NBA team because he was underperforming really hits me in the feels.
Walker played very poor for the Celtics this past season and with him being under a max deal, Brad Stevens decided it was time to move on from the thirty one year old guard.
Walker will be heading west to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder next season. In addition to giving up Kemba, the Celtics also sent the number sixteen pick in this years draft and a 2025 second round pick. The Thunder had to give up center Moses Brown, forward Al Horford, and a 2023 second round pick.
Stevens does workout a solid deal here to ditch Kemba’s massive contract and bring in two big men to fill the obvious void down low. Horford, the thirty five year old big man played for Boston from 2016 to 2019 and was named to one All Star team. He has the ability to spread the floor and is a threat from down town.
Now that Kemba’s contract is somewhat out of site out of mind, the Celtics need to fill the point guard position with a consistent player. Could they throw big money at Chris Paul or try to sign two efficient guards like Dennis Schröder and Derrick Rose.
Another option would be to make a blockbuster trade with the Trailblazers for Damian Lillard, who clearly wants to be out of Portland. A big three of Lillard, Tatum, and Robert Williams would be tough for any team to stop. The Celtics would probably need to give up Jaylen Brown, possibly a bench player, and a solid amount of picks to land the thirty year old play making point guard.