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Knicks Trade Rumors: Pros and cons of trading for Kemba Walker

By Maxwell Ogden

CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 17: Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets handles the ball against the Washington Wizards on January 17, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 17: Kemba Walker #15 of the Charlotte Hornets handles the ball against the Washington Wizards on January 17, 2018 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BROOKLYN, NY – JANUARY 15: Frank Ntilikina #11 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 15, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY – JANUARY 15: Frank Ntilikina #11 of the New York Knicks shoots the ball during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 15, 2018 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Con: Opportunity Cost

If the New York Knicks are going to acquire Kemba Walker from the Charlotte Hornets, then a steep price will need to be paid. Charlotte isn’t going to give Walker up for nothing, and other teams will be interested in the All-Star playmaker.

Thus, before one gets too excited about the possibility of trading for Walker, we must acknowledge that it won’t be an easy feat to accomplish.

Walker is owed $12 million in 2017-18, and will be paid an identical $12 million in 2018-19. His contract should be easy enough to take on, but the problem in this scenario is that Walker would become a free agent at the same time as Porzingis.

In that scenario, the Knicks could be forced to hand out two max contracts during the same offseason—a risky proposition for any franchise.

Furthermore, trading for Walker would require giving up either Frank Ntilikina or a first-round draft pick—if not both. Charlotte would also like the Knicks to take on one of its unfavorable contracts, which could mean the $99,130,435 that Nicolas Batum is owed through 2020-21.

Walker is an exceptionally skilled player with New York City connections, but the cost of acquiring him in a trade would be daunting.

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