With the Charlotte Hornets reportedly making Kemba Walker available, here’s a look at seven potential trades.
It was only a matter of time before NBA trade season opened back up again, and with the Feb. 8 deadline approaching, the dominoes are starting to align.
According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Charlotte Hornets have made All-Star point guard Kemba Walker available and are encouraging teams to make an offer. The Hornets are reportedly looking for young players or draft picks as compensation, and they’re also hoping to attach an undesirable contract to a potential deal.
This course of action makes sense for Charlotte. Michael Jordan‘s team last made the playoffs in 2016 as the 6-seed, bowing out of the first round in a competitive seven-game. Even with Nicolas Batum healthy and Dwight Howard brought aboard, Steve Clifford’s health issues have contributed to an underwhelming 18-26 start to the 2017-18 campaign.
With the Hornets 4.5 games out of the East’s last playoff spot, this core is heading nowhere fast, with plenty of long-term money on the books and Walker’s contract set to expire after the 2018-19 season.
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As such a blowup is probably the wisest route, with Walker being the team’s most attractive trade chip to jumpstart a rebuild, and also their best shot at detaching from unwanted long-term salary.
Though he’s taken a step back from his career numbers in 2016-17, Walker is still averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game on .423/.343/.848 shooting splits. A team in need of a point guard that believes it could re-sign him in 2019 should certainly come calling.
Bearing all this in mind, who could or should be picking up the phone? To sort it all out, we’ll take a look at seven potential Kemba Walker trades. Why seven? Because that’s how many trades I came up with, and it’s also the number of years it will take the Hornets to become relevant again once they trade Kemba. So let’s get to it!
7. Phoenix Suns
With Tyler Ulis and Isaiah Canaan serving as their two primary point guards, the Phoenix Suns desperately need backcourt help for their star shooting guard, Devin Booker. In fact, the situation has gotten so bad the Suns often resort to running Booker at the 1 since he’s the best playmaker on the team and Ulis can’t spread the floor playing off the ball.
Kemba Walker isn’t really the pass-first point guard Phoenix should put alongside their franchise player, but that backcourt would be damn hard to stop, taking the pressure off a 21-year-old to carry the scoring load every night.
The Suns passed on trading for Kyrie Irving over the summer and just got rid of Eric Bledsoe, so giving up assets for a possible one-year Kemba rental makes little sense. However, there’s no question the Suns have the assets Charlotte would seek if general manager Ryan McDonough wanted to pull the trigger, and they could even take on some of that unwanted salary the Hornets want to unload.
Dragan Bender has shown flashes of defensive potential in what amounts to the second half of his rookie season, and as a 37.8 percent shooter from downtown this year, could become a useful stretch-5. He’s not much of a rebounder, but he’s also only 20 years old and will get stronger.
Greg Monroe represents salary cap relief as an expiring contract, and is also needed to match contracts. Ulis is miscast as a starting point guard, but could be more effective in his proper role as a backup floor general who provides energy, pesky defense and playmaking for the second unit.
The Suns’ 2018 first round pick might be too valuable to give up in a deal for a 27-year-old, but Phoenix has an additional first-rounder heading its way from the Miami Heat (top-seven protected).
From Phoenix’s perspective, Kemba would represent a potential franchise point guard, though they’d have to convince him to re-sign in 2019 and hope his offense meshes well enough with Booker to counteract their likely defensive shortcomings.
Marvin Williams would also be a great option as a stretch-4, upgrading the offense and defense in a way that neither Bender nor Marquese Chriss are capable of at this point. If the Hornets preferred Chriss’ potential, they could sub him in for Bender in this deal.
The main problem here is Phoenix is all in on its youth movement, and with Kemba turning 28 in May, he doesn’t really fit #TheTimeline. The Suns would be better off hoping they can get their hands on a younger franchise guard like Luke Doncic or Trae Young in the draft, rather than give up assets for what might amount to a one-year rental.
The Suns are too good to tank with a healthy Devin Booker and T.J. Warren, but Kemba and Marvin Williams might not move the needle far enough toward the playoffs, and the Hornets may be able to do better than Phoenix’s B-level offers.
6. Denver Nuggets
Jamal Murray is going to be very good, but questions remain about whether he’s actually a point guard. As the Denver Nuggets try to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013, an upgrade at one of the most important positions on the floor would make sense on paper.
For the Hornets, Murray is an intriguing prospect at 20 years old. Averaging 15.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game this season, he could be a central piece in their planned rebuild, especially if he’s utilized at the 2 where he probably belongs.
Kenneth Faried provides no salary cap relief, but his deal only lasts through 2019 and his contract would be needed to match salary. The Nuggets would have to throw in a future first round pick to make it worth Charlotte’s while, and Johnny O’Bryant would need to be included for financial purposes.
However, Murray has shown flashes of brilliance over the last few weeks. He’s not a playmaking point guard by any stretch, but his scoring ability and upside as a 20-year-old may be more tantalizing to the Nuggets than dealing him for one or two playoff-hopeful seasons.
Denver has the young talent to potentially convince Walker to re-sign, but even as it tries to get Faried off the books, simply waiting for Paul Millsap to return without having to give up any assets might be the preferred approach.
5. Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons have dropped below .500 for the first time all season, and the timing is no coincidence with Reggie Jackson missing the team’s last 11 games. Stan Van Gundy is not the patient type, and it’s clear his point guard rotation of Ish Smith and Dwight Buycks is in dire need of assistance.
Short of blowing it up, Kemba Walker represents their most logical trade target to get back on track. Avery Bradley is Detroit’s most attractive trade asset, both as an expiring contract and a perennially underrated two-way player, but the goal should be bringing Kemba aboard with Bradley, Andre Drummond and Tobias Harris still in tow.
That means Reggie Jackson would almost certainly have to be involved, and at that point, it’s a matter of sweetening the package to somehow convince Charlotte to take on the remaining two and a half years of his contract — which, admittedly, would make little sense for what the Hornets are trying to accomplish by trading their best player.
Stanley Johnson is the main attraction here. Though he’s averaging a paltry 7.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on ugly .348/.295/.783 shooting splits in his third year, he hasn’t found much playing time under an impatient Van Gundy to this point in his career and he’s only 21 years old.
Henry Ellenson is also only 21 and is shooting 39.1 percent from 3-point range in his second season, albeit on a very limited number of attempts. He has potential as a stretch-4, and though he’s nowhere near a sure thing, throwing in a first round pick or two might tip the scales a bit.
Jackson and Anthony Tolliver would be needed to match salary, with Tolliver being an expiring contract to provide Charlotte with at least some salary cap relief. If Ellenson and Johnson aren’t enough, or if the Pistons hesitate to include multiple first round picks, another option might look like this:
The Pistons might resist parting with their promising rookie Luke Kennard, but he’s the closest to a “sure thing” among that Johnson-Ellenson-Kennard trio. Johnson, Jackson and one first-rounder round out the deal both financially and in terms of incoming talent.
Charlotte gets another sharpshooting guard, a replacement point guard who won’t be good/healthy enough to upstage the tank, a young wing with potential and a first round pick, getting rid of Kemba and Marvin Williams’ deal in the process.
Meanwhile, the Pistons get an upgrade on Jackson at the point, plus a stretch-4 who would fit perfectly in SVG’s offense. It might not be the wisest long-term approach, especially for a team that would have to find room to re-sign Bradley in 2018 and Kemba in 2019, but Van Gundy’s impatience makes Detroit a legitimate candidate to make a big move at the deadline.
4. Philadelphia 76ers
The juiciest of all these hypothetical trades, a Kemba Walker deal with the Philadelphia 76ers involving Markelle Fultz would be a jaw-dropping exchange.
On the one hand, it’s ludicrous how quickly people have given up on Fultz — the unanimously tabbed No. 1 pick and consensus top prospect in this year’s draft — after just a few months. The Sixers have had no problems being patient waiting for Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons to be 100 percent, so panicking with their top overall selection seems silly.
However, it’s also true there’s legitimate concern about his shoulder issue and horrendous shooting form that’s changed so dramatically over the past few months. Whether it’s all mental or there’s a deeper underlying issue remains to be seen, but if the Sixers have legitimate reason to be worried, it’s not that outlandish to imagine them cashing in on Fultz’s value for an All-Star scorer.
What the 76ers would lose in power forward depth, they’d make up for in scoring ability. Walker isn’t a pass-first point guard, which means Simmons could still run the show. Walker’s ability to play off the ball, spread the floor and take the focus of Embiid would be huge, and with a stretch-4 like Williams attached, the Sixers would improve their 3-point shooting and playoff hopes.
Meanwhile, Charlotte gets salary cap relief with the contracts of both Amir Johnson and Trevor Booker expiring this summer, plus the best potential franchise player among any of these hypothetical trades.
Again, the Sixers could very easily continue to “Trust the Process” by not giving up on Fultz and his superstar potential so quickly. Perhaps this shoulder/shooting issue will look silly a few years down the road when a star trio of Embiid, Simmons and Fultz is winning playoff games.
However, if these concerns are legitimate, Philly could easily sell high on his value while it still can, nabbing another go-to scorer and off-ball threat to upgrade the offense. As a franchise on the rise, the 76ers could probably convince him to re-sign as well, assuming they view him as the next step to seriously contending.
3. Indiana Pacers
At 25-22, the Indiana Pacers are much better than expected, but not quite good enough to make any real noise in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis may have accelerated this franchise’s rebuild plans, and that’s with Myles Turner failing to have the breakout season he was expected to put forth.
Darren Collison has done an excellent job at the point, but he’s really just a placeholder at the 1 until a long-term solution presents itself. Enter Kemba Walker, who might be swayed to re-sign in 2019 after a couple of playoff runs with a young squad on the rise.
This first option costs Collison, a promising rookie in T.J. Leaf and Indiana’s 2018 first round pick, but a starting lineup of Walker, Oladipo, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner with Domantas Sabonis and Lance Stephenson coming off the bench is a pretty damn good team.
Leaf hasn’t gotten much run in a crowded Pacers frontcourt, but he’s been extremely efficient on limited looks and would be a nice addition to Charlotte’s fledgling rebuild. Collison’s $10 million contract for 2018-19 in non-guaranteed, and though the first-rounder would probably be in the late teens or early 20s, that’s still a first round pick with decent value.
If that weren’t enough, perhaps more salary cap relief would sway Charlotte into making a move:
In this deal, the Pacers can look forward to getting rid of the non-guaranteed salaries of Collison ($10 million), Bojan Bogdanovic ($10.5 million) and Al Jefferson ($10 million) off the books. They’d nab Indiana’s first-rounder, get Dwight Howard’s deal off the books and could even try for T.J. Leaf too.
Howard can still help a playoff team with his rebounding, Lance could fill in on the wing with Bogdanovic on the way out and Jefferson is rarely used in a crowded frontcourt unless Turner is hurt anyway.
The biggest problem is Charlotte may not bite on offers built around T.J. Leaf, a mid-to-late first round pick and salary cap relief.
2. Utah Jazz
According to the Salt Lake Tribune‘s Tony Jones, the Utah Jazz are actively trying to move Rodney Hood before the Feb. 8 trade deadline, putting him in the same boat as Derrick Favors.
With Ricky Rubio being so underwhelming this season, Kemba Walker becoming available and the Jazz looking to rebuild around Rudy Gobert and rookie phenom Donovan Mitchell, it’s not hard to envision a few trade scenarios between Utah and Charlotte.
Though giving up Hood would hurt the Jazz’s dwindling playoff chances, avoiding his restricted free agency and empowering Mitchell as the go-to 2-guard also makes sense. As such, our first trade option revolves around Hood, Favors, Dante Exum and a future first round pick:
The Hornets will have to navigate Hood’s restricted free agency, which would require other moves to help clear the cap sheet, but further action is implied by trading Kemba Walker anyway. Hood would be a great piece to aid Charlotte’s rebuild, and if Exum could stay healthy, he might be another.
If not, he’s a flier that will either become salary cap relief by signing with another team, or he’ll be a cheap re-sign if he draws little interest on the market as a restricted free agent. Favors represents cap relief as an expiring deal, while the first-rounder is a potentially valuable asset, especially if it’s somehow Utah’s 2018 pick for a team sliding further and further from the playoff picture.
The Jazz, meanwhile, get an upgrade on Rubio, who would immediately become expendable in a different deal. Kemba and Mitchell would be difficult to stop and form an enticing Big Three with Gobert. Marvin Williams would help spread the floor as a stretch-4 as well.
If that doesn’t work, dumbing it down to Hood, Favors and a first-rounder for Kemba straight up is another option:
If that doesn’t work, throwing more pieces at the wall and seeing what sticks is another possible avenue.
Kemba Walker, Marvin Williams and Jeremy Lamb would bolster Utah’s roster for a run back to the playoff picture, while Charlotte gets a replacement point guard in Rubio, Hood, Favors and the draft pick.
It all depends on which players the Hornets view as top priorities, but they’d get decent young talent, some cap space and a first-rounder either way.
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in desperate need of change after dropping nine of their last 12 contests. They’ve almost fallen to fourth in the East, they’re the league’s 29th-ranked defense, and Isaiah Thomas certainly hasn’t helped in that regard, with the Cavs going 3-6 since he returned.
Kemba Walker isn’t a defensive stalwart by any means, but he’s not as undersized and is much better than IT on that end, all while being less injury-prone. He’s also under contract for one more season than Thomas, which would be a comfort since LeBron James will hit unrestricted free agent this summer.
With so much uncertainty in the air, having an All-Star caliber point guard under contract through 2019 would give Cleveland time to navigate these tricky waters. If LeBron leaves, they could rebuild around Kemba or move him elsewhere to jumpstart the next chapter. If LeBron stays, the Cavs could keep him and build around the two of them without having to overpay to keep IT.
Channing Frye would be needed to balance salary, and both he and Thomas represent cap relief as expiring contracts. As such, the Hornets would need a blue chip asset to make this deal worth their while. The Cavs don’t have any young players fitting that description, which means Charlotte would inquire about that Brooklyn Nets pick.
That’s a lot to give up for a great but not elite point guard like Kemba Walker, even if the Nets continue their upward ascent. The pick will still likely fall somewhere in the top 10, and though that’s hardly the central rebuild piece Cavs fans make it out to be, it has the potential to be more valuable if the Nets slide.
Cleveland will counter with its own first round selection, but that wouldn’t be enough. The Cavs might talk themselves into keeping Thomas, hoping he clicks with the team moving forward and that King James finds that infamous switch come playoff time to overshadow all those defensive concerns.
They could even try to substitute J.R. Smith or Iman Shumpert in for IT to try and savor as much offensive firepower as possible, since either one paired with Channing Frye would be enough to work financially if Marvin Williams or Jeremy Lamb is included.
That might be a hard bargain for the Hornets to give up Kemba and Williams (or Lamb), but that might be the master stroke needed to compensate Cleveland for losing that Nets pick.
However, the Hornets would probably rather have Thomas’ expiring deal than Shumpert ($11 million player option for 2018-19) or Smith ($14.7 million salary for 2018-19, $15.7 million non-guaranteed in 2019-20).
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In any case, if the goal is to make a run at another championship and re-sign LeBron this summer, Kemba could be a safer, potential upgrade at the point over Thomas — defensively, at least. If the Cavs believe that to be the case, the Nets pick has to be on the table, and if it is, Charlotte would jump at the chance to acquire it.