Kemba Walker has slowly but surely made himself an indispensable entity for the Charlotte Hornets.
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The point guard has made it big in the league ever since being drafted by the Hornets and is now attracting offers from other franchises too.
Charlotte Hornets have a decision to make and according to reports in The Athletic, Michael Jordan and the Hornets management have decided to re-sign Walker after he hits free agency post this season.
Dallas Mavericks were amongst those franchises that had enquired about a possible Kemba trade.
“The Charlotte Hornets are competing for a playoff berth, have Kemba Walker as the face of their franchise and are posited to have Walker representing the organization when the city hosts All-Star Weekend,” Shams Charania reported.
Now, keeping Kemba Walker might prove to be a tough task for the Hornets, who don’t have much star power apart from the point guard.
They will need to build a strong roster next season and hope that a few stars get attracted by the opportunity of playing under the overall leadership of Michael Jordan.
Hornets currently sit in 8th position in the Eastern Conference and will need Walker to step up to the plate in the second half of the regular season in order to ensure that the Hornets find a playoff spot.
While speaking about his future a fee weeks ago, Walker said that it was for the Hornets to decide and that he didn’t really know how to approach contract talks, especially whilst speaking to the GOAT, Michael Jordan.
“I want to enjoy that process I guess, and just wait for it over the summer,” Walker had said.
“I don’t know what I’m going to say to the GOAT
“We’re going to see.” he added.
Walker also spoke about how he felt when he heard trade rumors about himself, conceding that it was the first such experience for him and it felt a little weird.
“At first it was pretty tough,” Walker said.
“Just because I’ve never been involved in trade talks. So to hear it, I think I first heard about it through social media. So from that point on I was pretty upset. But you can only control what you can control.
“And if they wanted to get rid of me, I guess they would have. And they didn’t. And you know, I just tried my best to finish that season out. And then during the summer I just locked in.” he added.
Kemba Walker has constantly stressed on his relationship with Michael Jordan and how he has been a pillar of strength for him in his NBA career.
Every time Kemba has hit a roadblock, Jordan has been present to recover him from it.
“I’ve needed that a few times over the course of my career,” Walker said.
“So yeah, especially early on in my career, when I first came in trying not to step on anybody’s toes, things like that. [Jordan] brought me to the side. He was like ‘We drafted you for a reason. Just come in and be yourself.’” he concluded.