Kemba Walker and the Knicks finalized a contract on Wednesday to bring the four-time NBA All-Star guard back to his New York roots.
Walker’s two-year contract is worth around $16 million, according to multiple reports.
“We are beyond thrilled to bring native New Yorker Kemba Walker back to the city he’s proud to call home. He’s a tremendous talent whose skill and leadership will be a huge addition to our organization,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a team statement.
“We’ve already seen how well he performs on The Garden stage and can’t wait to witness it on a nightly basis in front of his family, friends and the best fans in the league.”
The deal follows a buyout of Walker’s contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Walker had two years and $74 million remaining on the $140.8 million deal he inked with the Boston Celtics in 2019.
The Celtics traded Walker to Oklahoma City in June in exchange for center Al Horford and the 16th pick in last week’s draft. The Thunder flipped the pick for two future first-round picks.
Walker, 31, was born in the Bronx and played his high school ball for Rice in Manhattan before starring at UConn in college.
Walker had an injury-riddled two years in Boston. Drafted No. 9 overall by Charlotte in 2011, Walker played in just 43 games in 2020-21 and averaged 19.3 points per game — his lowest scoring average since 2014-15.
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–Field Level Media