Could Kemba Walker be headed back to Charlotte?
The Hornets are “considering” a reunion with the point guard, according to The Athletic.
Walker played the first eight seasons of his career in Charlotte after the-then Bobcats selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, earning three of his four All-Star selections during that span.
He averaged 25.6 points and 5.9 assists per game in his final season with the Hornets in 2018-19, before signing with the Celtics in free agency.
Walker, 32, played in 37 games last season for the Knicks, averaging 11.6 points and 3.5 assists per game. New York had high hopes Walker would be a solid fit, but the union never worked out. During last month’s NBA Draft, the Knicks sent first-round pick Jalen Duren to the Pistons to shed Walker’s contract, and the point guard later agreed to a buyout with Detroit.
The Hornets are reportedly also interested in re-signing point guard Isaiah Thomas, who played well for the team off the bench last season, and emerged as a positive locker room leader.
Thomas, 33, finished last season with the Hornets, appearing in 17 games while averaging 8.3 points in 12.9 minutes per game.
“I need to be back with my young killas!!!” Thomas wrote on Twitter, responding to the report.
The Hornets are looking for depth at the point guard position to help their primary guard LaMelo Ball, whom the team selected No. 3 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, and veteran guard Terry Rozier.
Charlotte is reportedly being “patient” in their potential roster moves as they await the legal process of restricted free agent Miles Bridges, who’s facing felony charges for domestic violence and child abuse. Charlotte has the option to match any offers for Bridges from other teams.
The Hornets forward appeared in a Los Angeles court Wednesday and entered a not guilty plea to a felony count of injuring a child’s parent and two felony counts of child abuse, according to the LA County District Attorney’s Office.
The 24-year-old Bridges allegedly attacked his girlfriend, Mychelle Johnson, in front of their two children last month. Johnson took to social media to share disturbing photos of her injuries in the aftermath of the alleged attack on June 27 and 28 at a Los Angeles home. The children were not physically harmed.
Bridges turned himself in and was arrested on June 29. He was released from jail on $130,000 bail, police said.