Reports: Kemba Walker plans to commit to $141M max deal with Celtics
Kemba Walker has cashed in on his All-NBA status and plans to agree to a four-year, $141 million max deal with the Boston Celtics when free agency opens Sunday, according to the Charlotte Observer’s Rick Bonnell.
.@KembaWalker has conveyed to the @hornets he intends to sign with the Boston Celtics once free-agent contracts are allowed July 6, multiple sources say.
— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) June 29, 2019
The Athletic’s Shams Charania also reported the news of Walker’s decision.
The eight-year NBA veteran is coming off his third straight All-Star appearance and first All-NBA nod, earning third-team honors with a career year.
His All-NBA status made him eligible for a supermax contract heading into free agency. But his negotiations with the Charlotte Hornets hit a snag with the franchise not wanting to commit the five-year, $221.3 million supermax deal to their star performer.
Walker posted career-high averages of 25.6 points, 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds while tallying 1.4 steals per game in starting all 82 games for the Hornets
A career 41.8 percent shooter from the floor, Walker is an inefficient but effective scorer capable of filling up the box score. He has shot 35.7 percent from 3-point land for his career.
The Hornets failed to build around Walker after drafting him out of UConn in 2012, making the playoffs just once in the that span, losing to the Miami Heat in the first round in 2016.
Walker has not played alongside another All-Star since joining the NBA. The 29-year old is entering his third NBA contract after signing a four-year, $48 million rookie extension in 2014.
Walker will bring leadership to a promising Celtics core that includes Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Gordon Hayward.
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