NBA Trade Rumors: The New York Knicks will try to trade Kemba Walker.
Earlier this week, New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters that Kemba Walker would not only no longer be the starting point guard for the team but that he would not be in the rotation at all.
Alec Burks is set to take over the role for Kemba and now it appears that the Knicks could look to cut ties entirely with Kemba. According to a recent report, the Knicks will look to trade Kemba. In a way, it does make a ton of sense.
If this report is indeed accurate, perhaps this move comes is coming from Kemba’s camp. After all, if he’s not even going to be in the rotation for the Knicks, perhaps it would be in the best interest of both parties to simply move on from each other.
And that’s perfectly fine. New York took a low-risk chance on Kemba and it simply didn’t work out. It’s not that Kemba is completely done – though that could very well be the case, and could be revealed in due time – but perhaps that he simply doesn’t fit with this team.
On the surface, many thought it would be as simple as New York needing a starting point guard and Kemba being available. Clearly, it was not.
No matter what the case, the Knicks would likely be doing the right thing – for themselves and Kemba – to try and facilitate a trade. The curious part of all this is Thibs pretty much coming to the conclusion that he simply doesn’t see a role for Kemba at all.
Maybe it’s just the respect he has for Kemba the player to not place him in a role (off the bench) that he knows he’s not going to be happy with, or perhaps this is Thibs not seeing an avenue in which Kemba could work his way back into the starting lineup.
Either way, it was fast, direct, and likely the right decision. Kemba may still be valuable as a player, but it simply isn’t to the Knicks. Not right now.