Celtics trade Kemba Walker to Thunder in NBA bombshell
Kemba Walker’s time in Boston is over. The Celtics are trading Walker, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Thunder for 35-year-old Al Horfo…
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Kemba Walker’s time in Boston is over.
The Celtics are trading Walker, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Thunder for 35-year-old Al Horford, center Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick, according to ESPN.
The Celtics traded Kemba Walker to the HornetsGetty Images
The move comes just over a week after a report by Bleacher Report that said Walker and the Celtics were on the brink of a breakup.
Walker reportedly felt unwanted and “hurt” in Boston after former GM Danny Ainge attempted to trade him in his first year with the team in 2019.
Horford, who turned 35 earlier this month, has two years and $53.5 million left on his contract, with a partial guarantee of $14.5 million for 2022-23.
Horford will return to Boston where he played from 2016 to 2019. He went on to sign with the Sixers before being traded to the Thunder in December 2020.
The five-time NBA All-Star didn’t play in his final 28 games in Oklahoma City, as the Thunder considered trading him amidst their rebuild.
It’s unclear how Walker fits with the Thunder’s future and it is possible he is dealt again.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, one NBA exec said a “Kemba-for-[Kristaps] Porzingis next year seems inevitable.”
Porzingis is currently in the middle of a firestorm in Dallas, as the Mavericks just parted ways with longtime GM Donnie Nelson this week.
Mavericks head coach, Rick Carlisle also informed the team Thursday that he would not be returning to coach for a 14th year in Dallas. The shakeup came amid rumors of tension between franchise star Luka Doncic and exec Haralabos Voulgaris over decisions within the organization.
Ainge stepped down from his position after Boston’s first-round playoff elimination at the hands of the Nets. Brad Stevens was promoted from coach to Ainge’s position in the front the office, and the Celtics are on the hunt for a new head coach.
Walker, who turned 31 in May, was set to collect $36 million in 2021-22, and had a $37 million player-option for 2022-23 as part of his four-year, $141 million max deal that the Celtics gave him as part of a sign and trade with the Hornets.
