The Knicks and point guard Kemba Walker have agreed that Walker will be held out for the season, with the Knicks looking to move him over the summer, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Walker is in his first year with his hometown team, and the experience has been rocky for both him and the Knicks. He has played well, and been benched, and neither side has really gotten into any sort of rhythm.
Per Wojnarowski, the plan is for Walker to work out in preparation for next season, at the end of which he will be a free agent. That expiring contract should create an opportunity for the Knicks, Walker and agent Jeff Schwartz be able to find a trade, as Wojnarowski eluded.
Several reports surfaced ahead of the Feb. 10 trade deadline that the Knicks were looking to move Walker then. Instead, they traded no one.
“Walker spent his first eight NBA seasons with the Hornets, where he became an All-Star and franchise cornerstone,” Wojnarowski wrote. “After engineering a sign-and-trade to Boston in 2019, Walker spent two seasons with the Celtics prior to the trade to Oklahoma City last year.”
Added Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors, “Although Walker had a good stretch of games in December, even earning Player of the Week honors, his health issues and defensive shortcomings has limited his ability to be a consistent, reliable contributor this season.”
Walker, 31, is 6-foot-0 and averaging 11.6 points and 3.5 assists in 37 games. The Knicks (25-34) have been among the NBA’s most disappointing teams, and enter the post-break portion of the schedule in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.
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