The Los Angeles Clippers should look into the possibility of acquiring star point guard Kemba Walker.
Kemba Walker is one of the top point guards in the NBA and has been the face of the Charlotte Hornets franchise for awhile now. He has been underrated throughout the majority of his career, mainly due to the fact that the Hornets haven’t been able to make a deep playoff run with him leading the way.
There are currently no trade rumors suggesting Walker could be available for trade ahead of the Feb. 8 deadline. But since the Hornets are a luxury tax-paying team heading nowhere fast, if that changes, there are quite a few teams that will line up with interest. One of those teams needs to be the Los Angeles Clippers.
Doc Rivers was forced to trade franchise point guard Chris Paul during the offseason and the Clippers have not been the same so far in 2017-18. They have gotten off to a slow start and are just 17-20 at this point in the season. Adding a talent like Walker could be exactly what they need to get back into playoff contention.
Through the first 35 games of the season for Walker, he put up solid all-around production. He averaged 21.4 points per game to go along with 5.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. Walker also connected on 41.9 percent of his shots and 34.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Why should the Clippers make an aggressive move for Walker?
There are quite a few reasons that can support the Clippers making a strong effort to acquire Walker. First and foremost, they need a true starting point guard that is capable of leading their franchise forward.
Column: The Charlotte Hornets have an expensive team that's headed to the lottery. That's why it is the right time to trade Kemba Walker. https://t.co/9srIbBEjLu
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 5, 2018
L.A. has been working with Patrick Beverly, Austin Rivers and Milos Teodosic at the point guard position. All three players are quality role players, but none of them are ideal for the starting lineup. Walker would immediately improve the point guard position for the Clippers.
At just 27 years of age, Walker could be the long-term starter for Los Angeles as well.
The front office would have to figure out a way to get a new contract done with Walker. He is currently scheduled to hit free agency following the 2018-19 season. That would give the Clippers a year and a half to convince him to stick around.
Charlotte will be looking for young pieces and picks if they decide to trade Walker. Los Angeles could offer pieces like Sam Dekker, Sindarius Thornwell, Jawun Evans, Montrezl Harrell and picks in order to get a deal done.
Walker would not be able to “replace” the void that was left from Paul’s departure. He is a completely different player, but would certainly be able to take over the franchise point guard role that the Clippers need to find.
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There is no guarantee that the Hornets will place Walker on the trade block, but if they do, the Clippers need to aggressively pursue a trade for the star point guard.