Report: Kemba Walker for Kristaps Porzingis Trade on the Cards?
Sam Presti never sleeps, or so it seems.
The Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager started his Friday off with a bang, trading Al Horford and Moses Brown to the Boston Celtics for Kemba Walker and the No. 16-overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
While second round picks were also exchanged, Presti continues his quest to accumulate all the first round draft capital he can.
Walker comes to Oklahoma City after playing just 99 games for the Celtics over the last two years, and has just two years remaining on his contract with the second year being a player option.
Will Walker take the path of Ricky Rubio and never suit up for the Thunder, or will Walker join the ranks of Chris Paul and Horford who spent a year in OKC before getting shipped out?
One NBA insider seems to think it will be the latter.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix indicated on Twitter that Presti may again pull a similar trick next summer.
“Kemba-for-Porzingis swap next year seems inevitable,” Mannix said an NBA executive texted him after the trade.
As the ink dries on Walker’s arrival in Oklahoma City, a swap for Kristaps Porzingis isn’t as off-the-wall as it may initially seem.
The Thunder were heavily linked with both Walker and Porzingis rumors entering the offseason, and Presti has proven in back-to-back offseasons that he can take on a seemingly bad contract, and within a year turn it into another distressed asset, all while accumulating more first round draft picks.
Porzingis, who would be just 26 at the start of the next NBA season, has three years left on his contract where the final year, just like Walker, is also a player option.
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Since arriving in Dallas from the Knicks, the Unicorn has also had injury struggles. After missing the entire 2018-19 season due to an ACL injury, Porzingis has played in 100 games over the past two seasons with the Mavericks.
Much like Walker, Porzingis has been productive when on the floor. The Latvian big has averaged 20.2 points per game over the last season, adding nearly nine rebounds per game and just under two assists per contest.
The Mavericks are in the midst of a coaching change and a front office overhaul, so time will tell if Porzingis is happy to stay in Dallas for the extent of his contract, or if he and the franchise wish to part ways.
If Presti wishes to take the bait, he’s proven time and time again that a year in Oklahoma City can be a good career reset — and that the Thunder will be compensated handsomely with draft picks along the way.
