Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Kemba Walker is one of the veteran superstars who are highly expected to be moved in the 2021 offseason. Walker may have just recently arrived in Oklahoma City, but most people don’t see him starting the 2021-22 NBA season with the Thunder. With the team still in the middle of the rebuilding process, keeping an aging point guard like Walker doesn’t make any sense for the Thunder.
When the 2020-21 NBA season is officially over, the Thunder would explore trades that would allow them to get rid of Walker and his massive contract.
Kemba Walker To LA Clippers
In the past months, Walker has already been linked to several teams that are in dire need of a backcourt boost and additional star power on their roster. According to Dan Favale of Bleacher Report, one of the potential suitors of Walker this summer is the Los Angeles Clippers.
After failing to win the NBA championship title this season, the Clippers would need to do something to convince Leonard to sign a massive contract extension with the team in the 2021 free agency. Though he has gone through plenty of ups and downs in the past years, trading for Walker would enable the Clippers to grant Leonard’s request for a starting-caliber point guard and create their own "Big Three" with Paul George next year.
Proposed Trade Idea To Acquire Kemba Walker
With his health issues, inconsistent performance, and lucrative contract, the Thunder would be in no position to demand a huge asking price for Walker. However, the Clippers would still need to be creative to match Walker’s massive salary.
In the proposed trade scenario by Favale, the Clippers would be sending a package that includes Serge Ibaka, Rajon Rondo, Luke Kennard, the No. 30 pick, a 2024 second-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick to the Thunder in exchange for Walker and Kenrich Williams. Before they could push through with the trade, Ibaka should first exercise his player option for the 2021-22 NBA season.
Kemba Walker Serves As Clippers’ Third Star
Walker would be an intriguing addition to the Clippers. Despite failing to live up to expectations from the massive contract he signed with the Boston Celtics, Walker still has plenty of gas left in his tank and would be useful to a title contender like the Clippers.
"Walker is also in many ways a safeguard against absences from Leonard (or Paul George)," Favale wrote. "The Clippers are less likely to run out of star power later in the season with three offensive hubs from which to choose."
Kemba Walker Tries To Revive Career On Clippers
When he’s 100 percent healthy, Walker would give the Clippers a major upgrade at the starting point guard position. Aside from being a great playmaker, he’s also a very reliable scorer and three-point shooter. This season, he averaged 19.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 42.0 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN.
Walker would definitely love the idea of being traded to the Clippers. Instead of wasting a season on a rebuilding team like the Thunder, joining forces with Leonard and George in Los Angeles would give him a realistic chance of winning his first NBA championship title next year.
