12:55pm: Walker’s deal with the Knicks will be a two-year contract worth about $8-9MM annually, league sources tell Ryan McDonough of NBC Sports Boston (Twitter link).
9:03am: Veteran point guard Kemba Walker has agreed to a contract buyout with the Thunder, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), who reports that Walker will sign with the Knicks once he clears waivers.
The Thunder acquired Walker from Boston back in June in Brad Stevens‘ first major roster move as the Celtics’ president of basketball operations. Although that deal was considered a salary-dump, with Oklahoma City receiving a first-round pick for taking on Walker, a report last week stated the Thunder believed they might be able to flip him to another team for an asset. It appears those efforts were unsuccessful.
While Walker clearly wasn’t in Oklahoma City’s long-term plans, the fact that the team agreed to buy him out already is a little surprising, since the 31-year-old still had two years and nearly $74MM left on his contract. We’ll have to wait for details on how much of that money he’s giving up as part of the agreement with the Thunder.
The move will open up more playing time for the Thunder’s young ball-handlers besides Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, including Theo Maledon and Josh Giddey, notes Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman (Twitter link).
The Knicks, meanwhile, are on track to add Walker using their leftover cap room. Based on the terms of their reported contract agreements to date, the Knicks project to have about $8-9MM in space available, and it sounds like the team won’t be making any additional cost-cutting moves to clear extra room to accommodate Walker, per Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link).
Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report confirms (via Twitter) that Walker’s deal with New York will be worth about $8MM annually, though it’s unclear how many years it will cover.
Walker, was limited to 43 games in 2020/21 due to knee issues, but put up strong numbers in the games he played, averaging 19.3 PPG, 4.9 APG, and 4.0 RPG on .420/.360/.899 shooting in 31.8 minutes per contest.
The four-time All-Star will join a Knicks backcourt that also features Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks, and second-round pick Miles McBride. The team is also signing veteran swingman Evan Fournier in free agency to add some more scoring punch to its lineup.
The move represents a homecoming for Walker, who has been linked to the Knicks multiple times in the past. He was born and raised in the Bronx.
If healthy, I actually really like Kemba added to the Knicks roster. Good for them..
I agree. Very nice pick up
Walker is way too young for Lakers?
Westbrook and Walker backcourt would have won championships
Silly, you’ve been spitting some facts lately but this one is a little out there
que the big east tourney highlights!
Nicely done Knicks. I guess they must have had a feeling or intel that this was happening with the fact that they did not prioritize point guard the first two days of FA.
Idk, this could have been just a wait it out and see what happens. Apparently though, they really didn’t want Schroeder except for a last option..
Where is his money going to come from now??
Yes I agree. Dennis Schroder could be left high and dry. Who has money and what are his options now? Backup point guard with the Warriors one-year deal small money? Not sure if his character and attitude are in line from what the Rumblings are. He might want to get his respect but the options are few and far between now.
Should have taken the money when offered, just Should have taken the Vax when I could. Sucks for him, Hopefully he would rebound and revive his image, someone down the line might offer him something, Nerlens Noel got something, so there’s still hope
Quickly should be ready for a bigger role too but agreed good pickup
Wow
Good for them. Never been a Knicks fan but I like how they are rebuilding and restocking.
Sucks for Schroder!!!
I was just about to say that. I wonder who will sign him and for what? Watch him join the clippers
hes a backup in this league anyways.
Overachieved next to cp3 in okc
Hey boss, you’re aware that Kemba didn’t play a single game for OKC right? And you’re also aware he and CP3 never played together right? How did you get here?
Hy boss, pretty sure Freddy was referring to Schroeder not Kemba.
He was meant to keep shining at MSG! Love this move
That’s kind of surprising, not that they couldn’t find a taker for Walker but that they bought him out before letting him rebuild some value.
Hard to trade a guy with a giant contract and isn’t even healthy. Too much risk.
The other part is that thunder have young guards they want to give playing time to.
If he reduced the buyout by a decent amount, then it’s worth it for them to move forward. He can make up the diff on where he signs. OKC saves $$$ and doesn’t take minutes away from the kids.
Are you folks under the impression that the Thunder are not a poorly run organization?
WTF ?? I Wonder how Manu kemba gives up
Knicks finally make a decent move. If he can stay healthy
God I hate this buyout junk. It is nothing but a complete circumvention of the entire salary cap process. A player gets his money, gets to go to any team he wants (usually a big market) and only counts for a small percentage of the money he is being paid. With this type of agreement allowed to occur, you might as well just throw the whole cap system altogether and just say play wherever you want with no restrictions.
Nothing against the Knicks or Walker here or any other team or player taking advantage of the system. It just ruins a relatively fair salary capped sport and turns it into a sport where a handful of teams have a clear advantage over everyone else.
The Yankees recipe year after year. Out spend everyone, but it rarely works out.
This is not 2009 lol if anything they’re being outspent now
They make the playoffs almost every year and even when they miss the playoffs and are in “rebuilding mode” they are still right around a .500 team. How does it rarely work out? It’s not about how many titles you win, that is basically just a matter of luck, it is about how many realistic opportunities you get for a title.
The Yankees may have just one title since 2000, but they have been in the playoffs in 16 of 21 years since then. And their “worst” year was 84-78. That is not “rarely” working out.
If you’re making the playoffs every year, the expectation should be a championship (or at worst, a spot in the championship game). When you’re a team like the Yankees that expects success (because of the resources you’re putting into the team) and have fans who have grown used to/spoiled by that success, anything short of a championship is a failed season.
It is definitely about how many titles you have won (at least in the past 10-20 years or so). That’s literally why the game is played. There is not any real consolation prizes in sports. Teams might hang a banner for making it out of their conference, but they’d much rather hang a championship banner.
To take another sport and franchise as an example, the Washington Capitals were in a similar position before they won the Stanley Cup in 2018. With the exception of the 2013-14 season, the Capitals were in the playoffs every other year from 2007-08 to 2017-18 (their championship season). There were plenty of questions of whether or not the team was just a team that showed up in the regular season or if Ovechkin could be considered a great player if he failed to make it out of his conference, let alone make an appearance in the Cup Finals. As someone who lives in New York (but not a Yankee fan), I can definitely tell you that playoff berths with no WS appearance is definitely not a successful season by most Yankees fans standards.
Your last sentence is the EXACT key to my point. It’s not a successful season by YANKEES fans standards because they are spoiled by the assumed success. Yankees fans NEVER have to go through years where there team is out of it before the season even starts like most franchises. The inherent unfairness is not the Yankees constant winning, it is the lack of losing seasons fans are forced to put up with.
I am a Rockies fan. My team has been to the playoffs 5 times in their 28 year history. Yes, they are poorly run, but there are many other teams in the same boat. All it does is show how the scales are tipped in the Yankees (and other wealthy teams) favor.
@hiflew – making the playoffs every year is nice, but not coming away with an abundance of rings while spending like they do is somewhat of a disappointment. Meanwhile, Tampa runs at 1/4 of their payroll and owns them.
I respect the Yanks of the 90’s because they did it right, and very well. Homegrown, smart drafting, and targeted free agents, not the biggest names on the block. But today, can’t really say they’ve been good at what they do.
Yeah it’s a Frenzy out there. Everyone is getting bought out.
It tends to be players that are truly worth only a tiny fraction of their pay. If he had value at all he would have been traded. It’s a nice move for the Knicks, but they didn’t get a star, they got an often injured former star in his 30s that plays as a fraction of his former self.
It doesn’t matter if it is an injured star or the league MVP. The point is that a team gets a player that is being paid a ton of money, but it only counts as a small fraction against them. It is still spitting on the whole system.
A washed up Kemba Walker going to the Knicks is unfair cuz he used to make a lot of money, sure. Probably gonna make the same huge differences that Griffin and Drummond made last year.
I don’t see the buyout going anywhere since both the players and the owners/GMs seem to be on board with it. It’s a circumvention of the spirit of the rules they created, but since they don’t care, it’s probably here to stay.
That said, how much of an effect do buyouts have on the on-court product? And further, don’t the other big sports have the same problem? The NFL has non-guaranteed contracts (mostly), so players with big contracts can just get released and then sign wherever they want. MLB players with big contracts can get waived, and they’ll clear waivers because of their giant deal, and then sign wherever.
Buyout is here to stay, and the only losers in the deal are teams that are not desirable locations, but isn’t it up to them to create a desirable location?
@hiflew
the player isn’t really making any more money and no one is forcing the team to buyout the player. I get that most of the players end up going to certain destinations.
Wow, not expecting that at all. But i liked it!
Bring Kemba back home!!
And 2 healthy knees!
Details, mate, details
So OKC paid 74 million dollars for the 16th pick? Lol
They got rid of $54M…
So they paid $20MM for a pick that they probably could have bought on draft night for about $4MM. Still not exactly a great business move.
I’m guessing he’s also leaving about $10M on the table.
Also, a 2nd round pick will cost you a few million. You can’t buy a borderline lottery pick in a stacked draft for $4M. $10M? Sounds about right….
The limit for a cash transaction in the NBA is just shy of $6MM, so no draft pick will ever be sold for more. Picks in a similar range have been sold in the past for around $3-5MM.
No they have not. Post an example because you are just pulling crap out of your prison wallet at this point.
Stop whining.
Nobody sells 1sts any longer, and certainly not for 4 mm if anyone decides to ever again. This is cap space / payroll, not cash. The price of assuming a bad contract of 15-20 mm on your cap (in a contract dump) is a remote protected 1st (16, up front, is far more valuable).
Can still happen, so eventually will happen again. Probably will be rare, but if it does happens it will still have to be subject to the same restrictions on cash transactions.
Why not compare it to transactions that happen in this market every year and are actually comparable (cap space salary assumptions) vs very different transactions (cash sales) that only happened 20 years ago once in the dislocated market of a few financially strapped teams, and when the cap was a fraction of what it is now?
We know why. Because it disproves your narrative. In fact, it conclusively proves its counter.
You can’t buy the 16th pick for 10 million. I love this app, but why are so many of you either toxic or making jokes.
Some people are toxic because they are not clever enough to make jokes. Some(like me) make jokes because no one with any power will EVER read this and take your comments to heart. Why spend your time coming up with realistic situations for free when people are paid millions to come up with the same ideas. Either your ideas will not matter or worse, they will be stolen and used without compensation.
So we make jokes instead. Feel better now?
There are no jokes here. Cause there is no talent here. Off topic only speaks of you.
No way he gave up 54 Million.
Al Horford was the $54M…
How did they get rid of 54M when they traded it for a guy making 72M? lol. Math…
Exactly. Why not just keep Horford and buy him out? It would have been much cheaper. It’s not like OKC was in dire need of that pick or something.
what are you smoking mate? they owed 54 to horford and now they owe 72 to walker, so they paid only 18 for the 16th pick, not counting any discount walker made them to convice them.
so Kemba is willing to return 54 million just for a move to the Knicks?
the problem is not the “got rid of 54 million”, but how his contract would be count as dead cap, meaning that OKC would be tanking at least for 2 more season
kemba is not returning 54, thats what they would have paid horford, which was saved when he went to boston
walker might discount them 10-15m
he is going to be strected across 3 years, so the dead cap space will be less than his actual contract and oklahoma is not really a team targetting big time free agents to need the free space
Probably broke even if you consider Horford and the buyout give back (I’m pretty sure there’s some, due to the timing of the release). Money have been required to be spent anyway due to the salary floor.
If Knicks weren’t still a top 4 seed they are now. Long as Kemba stays healthy.
Knicks and Bulls are in the 4-6 range which is a huge blessing for both of this teams, they were jokes for years. I do believe Knicks are closer to 4 Bulls are closer to 6 though, only time will tell. Those are the teams I have rooted for since I was a little kid, and it’s really nice seeing things balance in the league again.
Lmao this guy puts the Bulls in the 4-6 range when they’ve been awful and haven’t made the playoffs for 4 consecutive seasons now. I don’t like their roster makeup whatsoever, and to be honest, I’d be surprised to see them in the play in game. Lavine and DeRozan makes no sense, and Lonzo will probably be standing in the corner again like he did in New Orleans. Vooch needs his touches too. And this team will be terrible defensively.
The knicks were also awful and didn’t make the playoffs for a century, the Bulls look like they have a solid team, not a championship team bur a playoffs contender.
Bulls had a great offseason. Need to see how things come together, but, if they do, they are right there with the Knicks. But I think the range for both is more 4-10. BKN, PHI, MIL are top 3. I can make a case for any of ATL, MIA, BOS, NYK, CHI, IND and CHA being anywhere 4-10. This assumes health across the board.
Oh Yeaahh WOO HOO …. New they were working on something. Even last yrs Kemba can help us. A starter for 30 mins. We got Rose and don’t sleep on McBride …. This freakin awesome.
Yeeeeeeesssssss YEEEEEESsssssSS
Didn’t even have to trade anyone. Thank you OKC
I pledge to help with your rebuild, I swear
WooooooooOOOOO HOOOOOooooooo
I’m lighting My Mexican right now phat one
Y’all got your PG bro!! Man I’m pissed Washington didn’t call OKC/Kemba prior to this. Great signing. NY keeps its position as a top eastern up team.
Congratulations brother, y’all got a big win with this one. Rose is terribly underrated, RJ is going to be something special, the jury is out on Kemba in terms of health but it’s a no risk high reward move.
I was waiting for your post. Good for the Knicks. I think you guys have already paid your karma price for Ewing.
Yo Al, I think even if Kemba gives 20-25 minutes, that’s huge. There’s Rose and IQ coming off the bench, so they can work Kemba in slowly and not overruse him. I know I’m talking about Thibs not overplaying someone, but when he’s got legit bench options, I can see it.
This is a great fit/idea for both the Knicks and for Kemba. Love the move.
It’s what I’m saying. PG by committee is even a good move. Best thing is to let him get as healthy as he can. Then that version can be a big part of this. His stats are solid. It’s his health cause it also affected his D. And the playoffs. Never saw this coming. Big time
Finally a good signing for the knicks . Hopefully he is healthy. 8 million a year is worth the risk . I wonder if he can play with rose some in the backcourt. Poor Schroder he will have to sign a one year deal to prove himself . He would fit with Toronto, pelicans, and Dallas if they don’t get dragic.
Every signing the Knicks had was average to good. They paid the market price except maybe Fournier. His market was around 18 million per!
Fournier is essentially a three year deal at $19.5 mill per year. How is that not market price?
Dallas could really low key utilize Dennis, I don’t think he is a worthy gamble for anyone else.
If he’s healthy, it’s a coup! It actually might make more sense for OKC to buy him out now if he is healthy rather than injured, since he can give back significant money if healthy and available during FA period, since he’ll be in a position to recoup some or all of it.
This gives the Knicks 15 guys under contract (if you count Grimes and McBride, Sims has been confirmed 2way). I assume they’re done unless there is a trade at some point, and, if it opens up a roster spot, the Room Exception can also be used.
Knicks probably give him ML exception. So they can still have cap space for later. Great move. McBride learning from Kemba and Rose. Is also a good thing. Great day in NY
I’d rather give him the cap space (saving a slice for McBride, so he can be signed for 4 years vs 2 with the Room).
Yes, it’s paying him more, but doing so facilitates keeping him beyond the initial contract (with Non-Bird or Early Bird rights) if we don’t have sufficient cap space next year or the following year. Aller is quite good on the cap, so I expect this to be the method. Assuming they want a path to keeping him longer term.
With both Kemba and Fournier in their lineup they should plan on giving up about 135pts a game……. Good luck with that!!
Says the genius who watches the Knicks all the time. On NBA2K …. Only one reason Knicks are significant again. Search for it
Have you not watched Kemba the last 2 seasons?
Yeah he’s our D guy. We are totally dependent on his D. Seriously lol go watch a Knick gm. Kemba will play his best D of his career. They all play D in NY. We demand it. It’s where the chant. D -Fence was invented.
Thibs is a defense-oriented coach. His players improve on defense under him. That said, everyone else is great on defense and can cover for Walker and Fournier’s deficiencies. What they lose in defense switching out Payton and Bullock, they more than make up with offensive production.
On a REAL note::
He must be giving up good amount. He wants to go home and give Knicks what they need most a PG. He just needs to take his time and get healthy. Knicks will probably take care of him next yr.
OKC has Maledon and Giddey two young talented PGs. They need to start developing a core. They have to play guys so to see who to go after. They have plenty of assets so it’s no big deal letting Kemba go. No one was trading for him. It’s a smart move. Let’s wait and see how much they paid him.
Basketball Gods are loving NYK. Thank You
Kemba you know the whole city is with you. Not like in Boston. We want you at your best. Get right Bro. We are with you no matter what. NYK
I think OKC jumped on the buyout because they saw the Knicks are willing to give Kemba 8 or 9 million per season. If he agrees to lob off 10 million per season in the buyout it all works out. OKC spends 54 instead of 74 million and Kemba makes almost the same show his “respect” is there.
Thank you Thunder…Good work Knicks…Patience wins out…Now stay healthy
Good for Kemba, I’m happy for him. Hope he doesn’t suffer with injuries this year.
I don’t get the love for this move. He doesn’t have a knee. It’s been how many years with the same injury repeating? It’s never coming back.
D.Rose used to have knee problems, but look at him now. Sure the Knicks won’t want to wait that long, but it is possible to play great again…eventually.
Hey Bill, love your work. A knee injury is different from degenerative knee issues though. Big difference
At least Kemba has a jumper.
He’s got a shot. Idk if he can jump anymore
First IDAF about the Yankees and who spends what. There is a system in play in every sport in the WORLD. We all know it going in. So now you want to cry. Knicks have more money that all small market teams put together. Yet we had the lowest payroll for yrs. You think that how it was going to stay. You spend when you want to compete. It’s pretty simple. Crying over something you will never have input in is childish lol.
Have to love the nba rules. He is still under contract with the Thunder and is already set to join the Knicks. Should be collusion. Same market clubs have no chance. Why I don’t care about the nba anymore. Commissioner has lost control of the league.
Look up bought out.
It’s only reporting here. Nothing has been written or signed. Still can get nixed
It’s sports so I get people not liking or even hating on players or teams. What’s amusing to me is. Why the geniuses come to a sports forum. To express their own
sensibilities instead of debating facts. If they don’t approve of a move.
Says more about you than Kemba coming to Knicks. Have any of you even looked at his numbers. Have you …. Do you even care ? WELL
32 mins, 19.3 pts, 5 ast, .90% FT, .360% 3PT, .42% FG. Those are among top starting PGs in the NBA. How does that not help. Why wouldn’t any team add that. Knicks have anchors on D in Mitch and Noel. That will help his D. Plus everyone plays D in NY under Thibs. Celtics moved him cause he didn’t do well in playoffs two yrs. And was banged up in both. But they have to accept some of that blame. They pushed him and it backfired. Point is those numbers and our depth at PG. Only makes this a solid move. He gets healthy and is the Hornet Kemba. Then it’s a coup. We have the luxury to wait on him. So it’s a no Brainer move. You might not like Knicks. But you can’t say this was a bad move in anyway possible. So be an adult and argue the facts. Not your personal takes on hate culture. It’s just a basketball team trying to get better.
Geeeeeezzzzz
I agree with you but check these stats:
35 min, 24.3 pts, 4.4 assists, 81.5% FT, 37.1% 3PT, 47.5% FG.
That’s Collin Sexton, who everyone on this site trashes. It’s just the numbers and the facts.
Good point but let’s really look at it. Kemba got his on Celtics. Sexton got his on Cavs. Kemba tried playing team ball fitting in. Sexton just went for his. His own teammates have said this, not me. Kemba is from NYC and knows what we want and need. Sexton just wants a contract. If I thought Sexton was a lifer like Tatum or Jimmy. All out for team and best they can be on team. I’d support him more. And I’d want that Sexton. Chemistry and commitment, attitude is huge on a real team. Especially Knicks trying to build a winner. I’m just looking out for my team. But I hope Sexton gets it right. I’m not a player hater.
Kemba back in MSG……scary
Knicks are back?????!!!!!!!!
NYK starting 5 ….
PG — Kemba
SG — RJ
SF — Fournier
PF — Randle
C — Mitch
Rose, Luca, Grimes. Burkes, Quickley, McBride, Gibson, Noel, Knox, Toppin,
Aamir Simms is a Clemson star. He’s on Knicks SL team. He’s a big 3. We need him to make the team. A big three is what we need most on bench (Knox ????)
link to nba.com
I give the Knicks a B+ overall
They seemed to pay retail early but stuck around the yard sale long enough w some cash to find that one bargain at the end
*They also got a small hidden fruit of setting an example of being an extremely functional and PLAYER friendly place to go for future players -They treated their own well and didn’t seem to have any hesitation doing so…players and agents notice these things. It might not have been the 48 hrs dreams ae made of but a B+ at this stage is ahead of the curve for NYK if you look back just 1 years times
Should have kept Bullock over someone. Too many guys that need the ball in their hands
Thought OKC arguably should have kept him for a little while b/c it wouldnt have effected the guys they have, but I guess he just wanted to go somewhere of his choice more than anything