The Boston Celtics are reportedly the "front-runner" to land Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker when he becomes an unrestricted free agent Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the update Thursday after Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic noted Walker and the Hornets have reached a "stalemate" in their extension talks, creating an opportunity for the Celtics, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks to potentially sign the three-time All-Star.
The 29-year-old New York City native is eligible for a five-year, $221 million supermax contract from the Hornets, but he said earlier this month he'd be willing to accept a discount to remain with the organization that selected him ninth overall in the 2011 NBA draft.
"Yeah, why not? Yeah, I would be. I would take less, yeah," Walker told reporters. He added that trying to find a way to stay in Charlotte is his "first priority."
The most another team can offer him is a four-year, $140 million deal in free agency.
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Walker is coming off a campaign where he averaged 25.6 points, 5.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.2 threes while playing all 82 regular-season games for the Hornets. He earned All-NBA honors for the first time by getting selected to the third team.
In Boston, he would take over point guard duties from Kyrie Irving, who's also an unrestricted free agent this summer and has been heavily linked to the Brooklyn Nets.
"Boston can continue to clear some cap space," Wojnarowski said on ESPN's Get Up! "They can renounce Terry Rozier. Create a number that gets up to Kemba Walker's max. But right now, Boston and Kemba Walker are focused on each other, and there's a very strong possibility that Kemba Walker will replace Kyrie Irving as the point guard, as a centerpiece, in Boston."
Bobby Marks @BobbyMarks42Breaking down how Boston can sign Kemba Walker. https://t.co/AY1BXPxdNi
Landing Walker represents a massive step toward a successful offseason for the Celtics. Their guard and wing spots would be set as Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart join him in the rotation.
The roster would still need work, however, with the starting tandem of Al Horford and Marcus Morris both set to hit the open market Sunday.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2843041-report-kemba-walker-hornets-at-contract-stalemate-celtics-seen-as-favorites
2019-06-27 13:17:05Z
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