Kemba Walker, Knicks Have No Plans For Contract Buyout

With the Knicks and point guard Kemba Walker reaching agreement that Walker will sit out the rest of the season, there have been suggestions that the team may seek a buyout of his contract.

But that won’t be happening, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

“There are a number of teams who would love to have Kemba Walker in a buyout,” Wojnarowski said on NBA Today, via Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors. “That’s not gonna happen. He’s not interested in that with New York.”

Walker has been a clunky fit with the Knicks, though it’s not necessarily his fault. Neither he nor his hometown team have assigned any blame.

But he already had his contract bought out by the Thunder before the season, allowing him to sign with the Knicks in the first place. He isn’t looking for that to happen twice in a year.

The Knicks may not be so keen on a buyout agreement, either.

“The goal has been — since Leon Rose was hired as president and William Wesley was brought into the front office — that they would be in the market for franchise-type players who became available in trades,” Wojnarowski said. “This isn’t a team that has cap space this summer, but they do have assets.

“They have draft assets, they have all their own picks, they still have Dallas’ 2023 first-round pick, which is protected. That certainly would have value.”