Buyout Looms As Kemba Walker Gets Shipped To Detroit Pistons

KEY POINTS

Kemba Walker's move to Detroit is likely to be temporary
Walker could turn out to be one of the interesting free agents this summer
He has yet to find his groove since leaving the Charlotte Hornets in 2019

Kemba Walker is reportedly headed to the Detroit Pistons after he was traded by the New York Knicks in a three-team deal that also involved the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, June 23.

The multi-team trade appeared to be centered on the incoming freshmen, particularly Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Duren.

In a report from ESPN, the Knicks first sent Dieng to the Oklahoma Thunder in exchange for three future first-round picks from the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, and Pistons.

After that, New York traded their first-rounder that they received from the Thunder together with four second-round picks to the Hornets in exchange for Duren.

The Knicks then traded the 13th overall pick to the Pistons for a 2025 conditional first-round pick owned by the Milwaukee Bucks.

When the smoke cleared, Walker ended up with the Pistons. However, it appears this will be short-lived.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Pistons and the four-time All-Star are expected to sit down and talk about a potential contract buyout.

Walker is owed $9.2 million for the 2022-23 season. He is likely to go into the trade exception area once another trade involving Jerami Grant is finalized.

Grant will join the Portland Trail Blazers along with a 2022 second-round pick swap in exchange for the Pistons' 2022 second-rounder along with a 2025 first and second-round pick, NBA.com reported.

Walker, who moved to the Knicks in 2021, failed to make an impact for the ballclub.

He also missed some games due to his knee injury and never got into the groove of things.

He and the Knicks reached an agreement, where the 32-year-old would sit out the rest of the 2021-22 season.

Walker averaged 11.6 points and three rebounds in 37 games.

Hence, the attention will now be on free agency with most trying to figure out where Walker would best fit in.

Since leaving the Hornets in 2019 and joining the Boston Celtics, the two-time NBA Sportsmanship Award winner’s career has been on the decline.

Although he is a veteran, Walker could end up settling for a backup role for teams in need of a point guard who can score when required to do so.