Kemba Walker might not want to get too comfortable with his new organization.
Because while the dust hardly has settled on his recent trade from the Boston Celtics to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Walker continues to be the subject of speculation, with ESPN NBA writer Zach Lowe wondering on the latest episode of “The Lowe Post” podcast whether the Los Angeles Lakers and/or Los Angeles Clippers could look to land the veteran point guard this offseason.
“I think both the LA teams are going to be sniffing around Kemba Walker,” Lowe said. “I think that’s the market. Now, I don’t know if you can get up to the money, I don’t know if they have whatever Oklahoma City wants. But that’s the level that I think they can target.”
The Celtics two weeks ago traded Walker and the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to OKC as part of a deal that brought Al Horford and Moses Brown to Boston. It’s now possible the Thunder could flip Walker, as they’re in the midst of a rebuild and really have little use for a 31-year-old point guard coming off an injury plagued season.
The Lakers and Clippers are intriguing destinations, as the former won the NBA Finals last season while the latter advanced to the Western Conference finals this season before being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Walker, despite dealing with a knee issue, still is very talented and capable of making an impact for a franchise with championship aspirations.
The question then becomes: Did the Celtics trade Walker too soon?
After all, a bidding war between the two Los Angeles teams might’ve netted Boston a bigger return had new C’s president of basketball operations (and former head coach) Brad Stevens waited a little bit before moving on from the four-time All-Star.
Then again, as Stevens recently explained, the Celtics have several things they need to address this offseason, and the Walker-Horford trade allowed them to start moving forward while also bringing back a good player they’re very familiar with.
