Point Guard, Franchise Heading For Separation? Lakers, Mavericks Interested

Kemba Walker will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and he will not be short of suitors should he decide to leave the Charlotte Hornets, where he has spent his entire NBA career thus far. The point guard is eligible for a supermax deal after making the All-NBA third team, but there remains a possibility where both the player and team could go their separate ways for the betterment of their respective futures.

The Hornets point guard will be seen as part of Tier II of the free agency class that includes the likes of Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving, but he averaged 25.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 2018-19 which makes him a valuable asset. The fact that he is only 29 years old and has more than of his best years ahead of him makes him an exciting prospect for teams to pursue.

The three-time All-Star would have been guaranteed a max contract offer from the Hornets in the summer, but his selection in the All-NBA third team changed the scenario. He is now eligible for a supermax deal with Hornets allowed to offer him a five-year deal worth $221.3 million while other interested franchises can only offer him a four-year $140.6 million deal.

The amount of money left on the table if he leaves Charlotte will certainly push Walker toward signing a new deal with the Hornets if offered the supermax deal, according to Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek. But that will be a big amount of cap space for the Hornets to tie up going into the future.

Moreover, the Hornets have made the playoffs on just two occasions since 2011 and have lost in the first round on both occasions. Could Walker decide to walk away from the franchise despite the money on the table? He could join a franchise that will allow him to go further than the first hurdle in the post-season.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski revealed recently that New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are “very interested” in the point guard and playing alongside LeBron James could certainly help his cause better than remaining in Charlotte.