Kemba Walker has had an okay Boston Celtics tenure last season, making the All-Star team and getting to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, this season has not been the same for the point guard. Walker has faced battles with injuries and has had periods where he struggled mightily on the court.
Recently, Farbod Esnashaari has stated that the Boston Celtics are likely to part ways with Kemba Walker this offseason. The report details that Walker’s relationship with the Celtics front office wasn’t the best, as Danny Ainge has tried trading Walker in the past.
The Kemba Walker experiment in Boston seems to be coming to an end. Sources said the Boston Celtics and Walker are likely to move forward from their relationship this offseason in a mutual agreement between the parties.
President of basketball operations Danny Ainge retired, and former head coach Brad Stevens was promoted to fill the position. Sources said the team will keep Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but Walker will be a part of the shakeup. And the feeling is mutual between Walker and the organization.
Walker helped push the Celtics to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2020, but they fell short to a surprise Miami Heat run. Despite that success, Ainge was ready to move on from Walker within the point guard’s first year.
Sources close to the Celtics revealed Ainge sought to trade Walker, and Jrue Holiday was the target. Holiday ended up with the Milwaukee Bucks, who are now in the second round of the playoffs.
A source close to Walker said he was hurt by Boston’s efforts to trade him, which created a rift in the Walker-Ainge relationship. Walker has a great relationship with his teammates and looked forward to being a veteran mentor to Tatum and Brown, but the same can’t be said about Walker and the front office. He no longer feels wanted.
There is no doubt that Kemba Walker is still a capable player when healthy. Perhaps a shake-up would be great for both parties, as both the Celtics and Kemba Walker need something new. Sometimes, all it takes is a change of scenery.
