Kemba Walker Agrees To Buyout With Thunder, Will Reportedly Sign With Knicks
BOSTON (CBS) -- Kemba Walker is heading home. The former Celtics point guard has worked out a contract buyout with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and will reportedly sign with his hometown New York Knicks.
Walker will become a Knick as soon as he clears waivers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. His deal with New York will be worth roughly $8 million annually, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.
The 30-year-old was set to make over $36 million with the Celtics, but was traded to Oklahoma City in June.
Walker signed a four-year max contract with Boston ahead of the 2019-20 season, but injuries derailed the point guard's run with the C's. He got off to a great start and made the All-Star team in his first year with the Celtics, but a knee injury hampered him for much of the team's run in the NBA bubble in Orlando.
Danny Ainge reportedly looked to trade Walker and his massive contract after the guard's first season in Boston, which did not sit well with Walker, and he soured on Boston. The knee injury kept him from playing in back-to-backs in 2021, limiting Walker to just 43 games. He averaged 19.3 points off 42 percent shooting, but lacked his usual speedy burst when going to the basket. His long-range shot was also off for most of the season, as Walker hit just 36 percent of his shots from three-point range.
Walker was traded to Oklahoma City for Al Horford and Moses Brown, a deal that required the Celtics to include a first-round pick. Now the four-time All-Star and Bronx native will get to play his home games at Madison Square Garden, where he shined for the UConn Huskies during his collegiate career. He'll also be battling with the Celtics in the Atlanta Division and Eastern Conference.
