June 26, , the day when the free agent market opens is approaching, and all teams
In the midst of intensive preparations.
According to NBA reporter Rick Bonnell, the contract renewal negotiations between the Charlotte Hornets and their head star Kemba Walker have entered a bottleneck, and have even reached the brink of rupture.
According to Rick Bonnell, because he was selected as the All-Star starter and the best team at the same time this past season, Walker has met the super maximum salary clause, and he can sign a 5-year contract with the Hornets totaling 221 million U.S. dollars.
The players insist on asking for such a super maximum salary, and it is fully guaranteed for 5 years; but the team has huge pressure on the salary space.
They currently have five players in the team including Tatum, Zeller, and Marvin with an annual salary of more than 10 million. The salary that has been confirmed for next season has reached 102.85 million U.S. dollars. If Walker is forced to renew his contract, the team will inevitably face payment.
The luxury tax issue.
As the No. 9 pick in 2011, Walker has played for the Hornets for 8 seasons. From a rookie averaging 12.1 points and 4.4 assists per game, he has now grown into an All-Star point guard averaging 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
In a small ball market like Charlotte, it is difficult to attract big-name stars to join, so a superstar like Walker is very rare.
Walker has a deep fan base in Charlotte. If he leaves in the end, it will be a big harm to him personally and to the team’s market.
However, there is an embarrassing fact that in these 8 years, Walker has only led the team to the playoffs twice, and has never broken through the first round.
Although the loss of the head star may make the team face difficulties, the successful case of the Raptors trading DeRozan last year is in the front. It cannot be ruled out that the extremely competitive team owner Jordan chose to start over and let Walker leave.
Rick Bonnell also revealed that the Boston Celtics will be a suitor for Walker if the contract extension negotiations between Walker and the Hornets finally break down.
Not long ago, Irving, the head guard of the Celtics, chose to jump out of the contract, and it was basically determined that he would not renew his contract with the team. Then Walker will be a good replacement. In the first 8 seasons of his career, Walker proved that
The ability to drive to the rim by himself.
Last season, the Celtics encountered difficulties on the offensive end, and their offensive efficiency ranked 16th in the league. Walker can help their offense!