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.
Detroit Pistons: Possible Kemba Walker trade destinations in the East
Miami Heat
The Heat could be looking for backup point guard help, as they really only have Kyle Lowry and Gabe Vincent as true point guards.
Of course, Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler can play that role as well, but the Heat could seek out some depth and Walker is the type of smart, tough player that would fit their culture.
Toronto Raptors
The Raptors are fairly thin at point guard themselves, with just Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn on the depth chart. They are another team with versatile forwards like Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes who can also handle the ball, but may be more comfortable with a known commodity behind VanVleet.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls had a ton of injury issues last season, so may be loathe to add another guy who has missed his share of time over the last three seasons.
But Lonzo Ball has never played more than 63 games in a season and played just 35 last year. Goran Dragic is now 75-years-old and only played 21 games last season.
Alex Caruso (who is not really a point guard) only played 41 games last season, so the Bulls may want some extra insurance against any of those guys missing extended time. Walker is just a big of a risk, but with all of those guys maybe one of them would stay healthy.
Detroit Pistons: Possible Kemba Walker trade destinations in the West
Phoenix Suns
We talked about the possibility of Walker being traded to the Suns and it makes sense. They have just Chris Paul and Cameron Payne on the point guard depth chart and could be looking for a third guy in case CP3 goes down.
Walker would be a bit overpaid for a third point guard role, but CP3 is 37-years-old, and while he is still great, he can’t keep this up forever.
Walker would give them a veteran just in case CP3 goes down or just needs to play fewer games as part of load management.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are already taking a risk on re-tread John Wall, so why not add another veteran ring-chaser to the mix? They have only Reggie Jackson behind Wall, so adding a third point guard like Walker does make some sense for the Clippers.
The Clippers are firmly in “win now” mode with their championship window open but closing rapidly, and this is the type of move you make when you are trying to win a title and don’t care about anything else.
Los Angeles Lakers
Oh why not? This seems like the ultimate Lakers’ move, as there isn’t a more “win now” team in the league, especially now that they have signed LeBron to an extension. They have only Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn to go along with LeBron as point guards, and we know King James likes to add veterans with names, as the Lakers have done in recent years.
Walker wouldn’t be asked to do much other than score on this Lakers’ squad, so may have some value to a team looking for veteran names to add to the bench.
It’s far more likely that the Detroit Pistons eventually buy Kemba Walker out, but there is no harm in waiting to see if a market develops, as some contender could get desperate for depth and see Walker as a viable option.