The Boston Celtics are facing an offseason full of questions, and one of them likely involves the future of guard Kemba Walker.
The Celtics are facing a luxury tax bill due to the contracts of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and may have to try to move another expensive player to prevent it from becoming prohibitively high. According to Brian Robb of MassLive, that player could be Walker. Sources told Robb that the Celtics will likely try to trade Walker’s contract in an effort to create some extra cap flexibility going forward.
Walker won’t be easy to move. He is due roughly $36 million in 2021-22, and still has two years remaining on his contract. He was limited to 43 games during the regular season due to management of his recurring left knee issue, which will probably be a factor for the 31-year-old for the remainder of his career. It wasn’t all that encouraging that he had to sit out the final two games of Boston’s playoff loss to Brooklyn for that reason either.
It also doesn’t help that Walker’s numbers were down a bit this season. His 19.3 points and 4.9 assists per game were significantly down from his peak years in Charlotte, and certainly aren’t numbers that justify his hefty salary.
Still, Walker is a respected veteran who has the clout to call out teammates when he thinks expectations aren’t being met. That said, it’s hard to see the Celtics managing to get anything of value in a Walker trade beyond salary relief.
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