Kemba Walker is the second-best point guard available in this year’s free agency class. For the past 4 years the UCONN product has been a bargain for the Charlotte Hornets at a $12m/year contract. This will definitely change this summer, with Walker potentially winding up with the so-called “supermax”.
Cardiac Kemba
Let’s start by discussing Kemba Walker’s career. Walker came into the league as the 9th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, after having led the UCONN Huskies to a surprising NCAA championship. He received the NCAA Final Four most outstanding player award for his heroics, and the ‘Cardiac Kemba’ nickname to go along with it.
For the first four years of his career, Walker wasn’t the All-Star caliber player we know him to be right now. He averaged 12 points his rookie year on terrible shooting. Those averages rose to about 17.5 points per game, with much improved shooting, for the next 3 years. His performances got him his current $48m/4-year contract.
Ever since then, Kemba exploded. In the 4 years since, Walker has averaged 23 points a game on over 43% shooting from the floor and almost 38% from deep. He has been an All-Star for the past 3 years, getting the starting nod this year when the game happened to be in… Charlotte. This year, Walker has averaged 25.6 points per game and if he would be named to any All-NBA team, as one of 6 total guards, he would be eligible for a supermax extension worth $221m over 5 years (only with the Hornets).
Jordan
Even if he is eligible for the supermax, there’s no guarantee that he will sign it, and there are several reasons why. For one, the Hornets just aren’t good enough to waste prime years on. Walker turns 29 in less than 3 weeks and has only been to the playoffs twice in his 8-year career, both being first round exits. The talent level just isn’t there in Charlotte, and they can thank no one less than Michael Jordan for it. Yes, the greatest basketball player of all time is one of the absolute worst owners in the sport.
Jordan and his management team have failed to surround Walker with any real talent since he’s been there, and that while he was on a $12m/year contract. If Kemba gets a supermax, or even just the max, the Hornets would have even less room to operate and sign marquee players to surround their sole All-Star. They already owe a combined $85m next season to Nicolas Batum, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Bismack Biyombo and Marvin Williams. None of the players mentioned have averaged over 13 points per game since their arrival in Charlotte. $42,5m dollar extends to the 2020-2021 season for Batum and Zeller.
A whole lot of bad contracts while the best player isn’t even earning top dollar. Jordan has done an awful job signing players, and his draft record isn’t that much better. Since his takeover of the Hornets in the 2010 season, Walker is the only player to get an All-Star appearance, despite having 6 top-10 picks and 8 total lottery picks. Better yet, none of the players (except Walker) drafted since his arrival have averaged over 10 points per game for their career in Charlotte. That’s just an awful track record for any owner, let alone the greatest basketball player of all time. You’d figure he would have at least a little eye for talent…
Loyalty and money
What makes staying intriguing for Walker? 2 things: Money and loyalty. Whether or not he’s available for the supermax, he will get more money staying in Charlotte. We’ve seen in the past that money hasn’t been the deciding factor for free agents, but now we are talking a whole different bag. Money will always play a role in a decision, and his contract isn’t his only source of income.
Remember, Walker has a shoe deal with Jordan brand and Michael Jordan happens to be the owner of the Hornets. Since the terms of his deal aren’t public, it could be that his partnership with Jordan ends as soon as he leaves the Hornets. On the other hand, he could get added incentives in his Jordan shoe deal if he decides to stay in Charlotte.
But money isn’t the only thing keeping Kemba in Charlotte. He’s genuinely happy there. He has stated many times that he would like to stay with the team if possible (read: if both the player and the franchise have the same mindset for the future). Loyalty is something rare in today’s NBA, and whenever we see someone being loyal instead of ring-chasing we applaud them. But there’s also being loyal to a fault. Guys like Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook have stayed loyal to their respective organizations as they have always tried to surround them with good talent and there’s at least a future for those 2 and their franchises.
Kemba has to decide for himself if there is a future for him within the Hornets franchise, but more importantly, that they move in the same direction. Of course, if he could choose, Kemba would want to win with the Hornets. That seems like it won’t be possible for the next few years, basically Walker’s prime. No one would blame Walker if he left, so now the choice is up to him. Loyalty, money and team success will play a role and I wish Kemba Walker nothing but the best, whatever he decides to do.
All stats courtesy of basketball-reference.com
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