The main reason Kemba Walker passed on the Knicks in free agency

The New York Knicks might have landed point guard Kemba Walker in free agency last year, had they been able to land another superstar first.

With an abundance of cap space, the Knicks focused their efforts on the pursuit of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant last season, but were unable to draw either to Madison Square Garden. As a result, New York was forced yet again to enter the season without a superstar to anchor the team. 

While they did manage to draw Julius Randle and Marcus Morris to their ranks, Morris was traded during the season, and Randle's scoring did not translate into wins. 

Walker made an appeared on The Ringer’s “R2C2” podcast with Ryan Ruocco and CC Sabathia, and the two asked him about his interest in the Knicks:

“Yeah, honest, yes,” said Walker. “Yes, very serious. Very.

“At one point…yes, yes, very serious. Before Boston actually came along, the Knicks was one of my top priorities, actually, because I was thinking they were going to get another player.”

Walker is one of the best players in the NBA, having averaged over 20 points per game for the last five seasons. He was selected as an All-Star again during his first year with the Boston Celtics this past season. In 53 games, he has averaged 20.8 points, 4.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 3.3 defensive rebounds. He also owned a .425 field-goal percentage with .384 from three-point land.

Adding a player of his quality to a lowly Knicks team would have been significant. With Leon Rose taking over as general manager and the hiring Tom Thibodeau as head coach, the Knicks appear to be a more credible and stable organization as they head into yet another critical offseason free agency period.