NBA: Ranking top return games from 2019-20 season

Nov. 11: Boston Celtics at Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have not been good as of late. In fact, since being eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs back in 2015-16, the Hornets haven’t been back to the postseason since. Moreover, they haven’t won more than 39 games in any of the last three seasons.

One of the few bright spots for this franchise during that stretch has been Kemba Walker. Not only did Walker earn All-Star selections over the past three years, he has also averaged at least 22 points and 5.5 assists per contest.

This includes an impressive 2018-19 campaign in which he posted career highs in both points (25.6) and assists (5.9). Walker was also named to the All-NBA Third Team as well. Based on the numbers, there’s no way the Hornets were going to let their All-Star player walk, right?

Well, not exactly.

Walker was eligible to receive a supermax deal of five years at $221 million. Not wanting to go over the luxury tax, the Hornets decided to offer Walker $160 million over five years — $61 million less than the supermax he was eligible for.

This may have not been the expected result of this scenario, considering Hornets’ owner, Michael Jordan, referred to Walker as one of the greatest players in the history of the franchise.

While the split appears to have been an amicable one, look for Walker to put on a show against the team he called home for the first eight seasons of his NBA career.