The Detroit Pistons still haven’t finalized their roster and Troy Weaver may not be done dealing this offseason.
Detroit took on Kemba Walker as part of their trade with the Knicks, a salary dump by New York who many thought the Pistons would buy out immediately.
But the Pistons haven’t bought out Kemba Walker yet, and now that the Kevin Durant trade saga is over, we may see some more movement around the league.
Walker won’t be a highly sought after name, as he is 32-years-old and coming off three injury-plagued seasons that saw his production go way down.
But he is still a big name as a guy who made four All-Star teams and was once considered one of the best point guards in the league.
He could still be an impact player on the right team in the right role, but does such a team exist?
Detroit Pistons: Which team might want Kemba Walker?
My first thought when I heard about Walker’s possible buy out was, “why not just keep him?”
Walker is set to make $9.1 million next season and the Detroit Pistons will likely have to pick up most of that tab if they buy him out, a steep price to pay just for a guy to play on another team.
The Pistons lack veterans off the bench and a guy like Walker would probably give them more than Saben Lee even in a drastically reduced role. Lee could be waived and Detroit could just let Walker play out the first half of this season to see if he can show that he is healthy and build his value.
Even if they traded him at the deadline, they’d probably still have to pay him less than if they buy him out now.
But there might be a few teams out looking for veteran point guard depth, so Troy Weaver is undoubtedly playing the waiting game to see if anyone emerges with an offer.
The most likely teams to need a guy like Walker are contenders that are thin at backup point guard or who are looking for some insurance behind players that are often hurt. Walker averaged nearly 20 points per game just two seasons ago, so might still have enough in the tank to help the right team.
Here are a few from each conference that could be interested in his services.