In the past weeks, rumors have been swirling around veteran point guard Kemba Walker and his future with the New York Knicks. After Coach Tom Thibodeau removed him from their official rotation, multiple signs are pointing out that the Knicks would try to move Walker before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
With the way he's being treated in his hometown New York, Walker would definitely prefer to be traded somewhere else. However, his misery with the Knicks may not end anytime soon.
Most people perceived Walker's removal from Thibodeau's official rotation as a sign that the Knicks are already ready to listen to trade offers for the veteran point guard. Unfortunately, according to Matt Moore of Action Network, there's currently zero interest in Walker on the trading block.
"There is no interest league-wide in taking on Kemba Walker according to multiple sources," Moore wrote. "Walker was benched to try and kickstart the Knicks, a move that has failed, but the league consensus is that Walker’s knees represent too much of a risk even if his play with New York and Boston was more about situation."
It isn't surprising that the market is dry for Walker. As of now, he's already far from the player that was once considered as the face of the Charlotte Hornets franchise. Since he left the Hornets in the 2019 NBA free agency, Walker has shown a massive decline in his performance.
This season, the 31-year-old floor general is only averaging 11.7 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN. Aside from his deteriorating performance, Walker's injury history is also a major factor why teams are having second thoughts about acquiring him from the Knicks.
When asked about Walker's removal from their official rotation, Thibodeau told Ian Begley of SportsNew New York that he's only making a decision that would put the Knicks in "position to win." Unfortunately as of now, Thibodeau's decision still hasn't given the Knicks the results that they are expecting.
As a matter of fact, things got worse in New York since Walker received DNP-CDs. So far, they are on a four-game losing streak, sitting in the No. 12 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 12-16 record.
Though there's no interest in Walker on the trade market, it doesn't mean that the Knicks should already give up on unloading him before the 2022 NBA trade deadline. However, if they want to get rid of him, the Knicks should be prepared to make sacrifices. Aside from accepting the fact that they wouldn't get valuable assets in return for Walker, they should also be willing to part ways with a young player and/or a future first-round pick.
If one of their top trade targets becomes available, the Knicks may also include Walker in the trade package for salary-matching purposes.
