Miami Heat: 25 Best Players To Play For The Heat
By Phil Watson
110. <strong>How acquired:</strong> Trade, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets and Utah Jazz, Aug. 2, 2005.. PF. 2005-07. Antoine Walker. 23. player
It was in one of the biggest trades in NBA history when the Miami Heat landed Antoine Walker in August 2005.
In a five-team deal, the Heat got Walker from the Boston Celtics while also picking up Jason Williams, James Posey and Andre Emmett from the Memphis Grizzlies and the rights to Roberto Duenas from the New Orleans Hornets.
Miami gave up Qyntel Woods, the rights to Albert Miralles and second-round picks in 2006 and 2008 to the Celtics; Rasual Butler to New Orleans; and Eddie Jones to the Grizzlies, with the Utah Jazz also playing a role in the trade.
Walker, a starter for most of his career, performed mostly off the bench for the Heat and helped them to their first championship in 2006.
A starter by the time the NBA Finals rolled around, Walker put up 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 36.6 minutes per game on .391/.270/5-for-9 shooting as Miami knocked off the Dallas Mavericks in six games.
He played a second season for the Heat before he was traded with Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a 2009 first-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves in October 2007 in exchange for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.
In two seasons in Miami, Walker averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game, shooting .419/.321/.543. He does not appear on any of the franchise’s all-time leaderboards.
He entered the draft after averaging 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game as a sophomore while helping Kentucky to a national championship.
The Celtics took Walker with the sixth overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft.
He was a first team All-Rookie selection in 1996-97 and a three-time All-Star during his first stint in Boston, leading the NBA in three-pointers in 2000-01 and finishing second in 2001-02 and 2002-03, while placing third in minutes per game in 2000-01 and 2001-02 and fifth in scoring in 1997-98.
In October 2003, Walker was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he played a single season before being dealt to the Atlanta Hawks in August 2004.
He was swapped back to the Celtics in February 2005.
In June 2008, Walker was traded to Memphis. He never suited up for the Grizzlies, who bought out his contract and waived him in December 2008.
His NBA playing days were over, but Walker played in Puerto Rico in 2010 and two seasons in the D-League before retiring in April 2012.
Walker is 28th in NBA history with 1,386 three-pointers.
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