Spurs Rescind Lonnie Walker IV's Qualifying Offer, Make Him UFA
The San Antonio Spurs made a defining move regarding the future of fourth-year guard Lonnie Walker IV a little under an hour before the official start of free agency Thursday.
The Spurs have pulled the $6.3 million qualifying offer that was tendered to Walker on Wednesday, per a report from The Athletic. The original move was set to make the 18th-overall pick in 2018 a restricted free agent, but he is now free to test the open market as a unrestricted free agent and could "expect a strong market ... immediately," per the report.
The 23-year-old was originally signed to a four-year, $12.5 million deal.
This move comes after the Spurs officially announced the blockbuster trade that sent All-Star guard Dejounte Murray and center Jock Landale to the Atlanta Hawks for multiple first-round picks and Danilo Gallinari.
In 70 appearances last season, Walker averaged 12.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He struggled with his scoring efficiency as he shot 40.7 percent from the floor and just 31.4 percent from beyond the arc. In his fourth season in the NBA, there are still more questions than answers about his value to a winning team.
Walker trailed only Dejounte Murray and Keldon Johnson among Spurs players for total possessions last season. In terms of usage rate, his 23.2 percent mark trailed only Murray. The opportunity was there, but inconsistency proved to be a challenge.
Now without Murray, the Spurs will likely be without Walker as well as the franchise enters a full rebuild.
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