Hornets ‘considering reunion’ with four-time All-Star Kemba Walker
from Victor Barbosa, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com
Prior to spending last season with the New York Knicks, and the previous two with the Boston Celtics, Kemba Walker suited up for the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets over the first eight years of his career. The stint with the team that selected him ninth overall in the 2011 NBA Draft included a trio of All-Star appearances and two playoff berths in three seasons between 2013 and 2016.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, “Cardiac Kemba” and Charlotte could be considering rekindling their relationship.
Hornets considering reunion with a former franchise cornerstone, among free-agent options, sources say: pic.twitter.com/mvjS1PlkTJ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 25, 2022
Walker is coming off of a season in which he posted career-low numbers in points (11.6), assists (3.5), rebounds (3.0) and minutes per contest (25.6), while he appeared in a career-low 37 games due to injury and poor play. Walker was traded from the Knicks to the Detroit Pistons on the night of the 2022 NBA Draft before Detroit bought out the 32-year-old point guard one week later.
Charania also reported that the Hornets have shown interest in potentially re-signing lefty guard Isaiah Thomas. The final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft is a two-time All-Star and has registered career averages of 17.7 points, 4.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Thomas averaged 8.1 points, 1.5 assists and 15.1 minutes per game across 22 contests (one start) last season between the Hornets, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. The bulk of the 33-year-old guard’s time was spent in Charlotte, where he posted 8.3 points and 1.4 assists in 17 games.