How the Celtics landed Kemba Walker after losing Kyrie Irving

Kemba Walker’s no longer a Hornet, agreeing to a four-year, $141 million deal with the Boston Celtics instead. Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Charlotte didn’t offer the super-max contract he was eligible for, making this decision easy.

When the Charlotte Hornets selected Kemba Walker ninth-overall in the 2011 NBA Draft, it was a sigh of relief for the Connecticut point guard. He had no idea where he was getting drafted. In his mind, going in the late-first round was on the table.

“I had no idea where I was going,” Walker told SB Nation in January. “My agent didn’t even have an idea where I was going at the time. He was showing me rumors. It was crazy. I didn’t know if I was gonna go ninth, if I was gonna go 20th, or late first-round. I just didn’t know.”

That didn’t happen. Instead, Walker went in the top 10 to a Charlotte city and franchise he fell in love with.

But after eight years and just three playoff game victories, this became a love story shaping out to turn ugly. Walker will leave for greener pastures, literally and figuratively. With the financial gap between him and the Hornets too wide, Walker is now a Celtic.

The price tag to keep Walker with the Hornets shot up after he made third-team all-NBA in 2018-19, cementing his eligibility for a $221 million supermax contract extension. But there was a sizable gap between Walker’s number and Charlotte’s, allowing other teams to enter the bidding war for the All-Star’s services.

The Celtics emerged as the leader in the pack after losing Kyrie Irving, and on Saturday, a day and a half before the official start of the free agency courting period, Walker reportedly informed the Hornets his intention to sign with Boston, per Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, with the contract worth $141 million over four years, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Walker, once a raw scorer with superior handles, became an All-Star starter for the first time this season. His averages of 25.6 points and 5.9 assists per game dazzled, giving Charlotte fans a reason to stomach an otherwise indigestible Hornets team.

But the Hornets have been just that: indigestible. They’ve missed the playoffs in six of Walker’s eight seasons in the league, and have failed to put talented player alongside the best talent they’ve had since Chris Paul. Walker took a discount on his rookie scale contract extension in 2015 to give the Hornets a chance to put more talent around him. Here are the contracts they handed out in the ensuing seasons:

The Hornets traded for Miles Plumlee, himself on a four-year, $50 million deal, then moved him on to the Hawks for Dwight Howard, who was about to start the second year of a three-year, $70.5 million deal. Then, they traded Howard to the Nets for Timofey Mozgov, on the third year of a four-year, $64 million deal. Then, they dealt Mozgov to the Magic for Bismack Biyombo, who has one more season worth $17 million on his contract. They have no cap space to get better via free agency, and no contracts any teams want via trade.

Then there’s Walker, who has turned himself into an All-Star starter and has been underpaid the entire way. The All-Star designation qualifies him for a designated player’s max extension of a five-year, $221 million supermax deal. He has endured years of organizational ineptitude from a front office that has failed to put winning players around him at every step of his career.

Walker wanted to stay and win in Charlotte. He’s as loyal as they come, and this is the franchise that put his mind at ease on that fateful draft night.

“These are the dudes and the organization that believed in me, that gave me the opportunity,” Walker told SB Nation. “And this is where I’ve been for eight years now, so of course I’m gonna love this place, of course I’m gonna be loyal. I’m a loyal guy. For as long as I’m here, I’m gonna give this organization everything I have.”

But he’s also a competitor, and he wants to win. The Hornets hadn’t proven they can do so with him.