Despite having an agreement with the New York Knicks to sit out the remainder of the 2021-2022 season, Kemba Walker is not interested in an exit from his hometown team by way of a buyout.
On Wednesday, ESPN reported that the Bronx native and the team had decided that he would be a healthy scratch for the rest of the season and that the Knicks and his agent would work towards trading him in the offseason.
Walker’s addition to the team on a two-year contract this season has been disappointing, to say the least. The four-time all-star has averaged a career-low of 11.6 points, with 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds on a Knicks team that has been a major letdown. The team currently sits at 12 in the Eastern Conference standings after finishing fourth last year.
Kemba Walker has zero interest in getting a buyout from the New York Knicks
Along with disappointing numbers, Walker lost his starting job in November, only to have the role handed back to him a month later when coach Tom Thibodeau could not find a better option at point guard. It would seem that a buyout would be a logical way for the team and Walker to end their relationship and allow him to compete for a contending team.
However, despite there being legitimate interest across the league for the former UConn star’s services, ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that Walker is not looking to leave the team by way of a buyout.
“There are a number of teams who would love to have Kemba Walker in a buyout,” Wojnarowski said on Thursday’s edition of NBA Today. “That’s not gonna happen. He’s not interested in that with New York.”
If teams and players come to terms on a buyout before a March 1 deadline, those athletes would be allowed to compete in the playoffs for the teams they sign with. In a buyout, players would forfeit a portion of their contract so they could return to the free-agent market. Clearly, Walker does not want to give up anything left on the $9.1 million owed to him in 2022-2023.
The Knicks make their return from the NBA all-star break on the Friday NBA Games Today schedule to face the Miami Heat at home.