The inevitable divorce between Kemba Walker and the Boston Celtics has finally taken place. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Walker will be dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with Boston’s 16th overall pick in this year’s draft and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for former Celtics big man Al Horford, 21-year-old center Moses Brown, and a 2023 second-round pick.
Re-adding Horford to the roster will give Boston a veteran leader to help push them over the hump and return to contender status. Despite his rocky road since departing the Celtics in free agency in 2019, Horford can also still be a valuable contributor to a team, averaging 14.2 PPG, 6.7 RPG, and 3.4 APG in 28 games last season, comparable to his numbers during his original stint with the C’s.
Moses Brown comes to Boston with the potential to be a rotational big man for the Celtics. The 7’2” center averaged 8.6 PPG and 8.9 RPG on the season in 43 games. He even had a 21 point and 23 rebound game against the C’s earlier this season. Brown certainly has potential to blossom into the Celtics second option at center behind Robert Williams and is under contract until 2025.
And with that, Kemba Walker’s tenure in Boston has concluded. The four-time All-Star played in 99 regular-season games for Boston, averaging 19.9 PPG and 4.8 APG while shooting 42% from the field and 37% from deep. Knee injuries plagued his time with the Celtics, as he missed more than 40 games during his two-year stint. His last appearance for Boston was a 3-14 shooting performance against the Brooklyn Nets in Game 3 of the first-round playoff series.
Looking at the current makeup of the roster, Marcus Smart and Payton Pritchard will likely take up the main point guard duties for Boston heading into next season. Smart averaged a career-high in assists per game this season with 5.7 and had his best offensive playoff performance of his career against Brooklyn, albeit in only five games played. Pritchard will look to build off a strong freshman campaign in which he demonstrated superb ball-handling abilities for a rookie.
Do you think the Celtics got better with this trade? With Walker gone, how will you remember his time with Boston? Let me know in the comments!