Los Angeles Lakers should stay away from Kemba Walker this summer
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers front office is looking to add a second superstar to the roster, which could end up being Kemba Walker.
The Los Angeles Lakers are going to be on the pursuit for a second superstar this offseason and there could be a potential fit in Kemba Walker, who seemingly has emerged as a star after his latest season of work.
Walker has always been viewed as a solid NBA player and over the last three years has transitioned nicely into the all-star reserve category of the league. However, this last year, Walker took it to a new level in his contract year and looked like one of the best three point guards in the league.
Walker averaged 25.6 points and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 43.4 percent from the field. Those numbers were enough to give Walker a starting spot in the All-Star Game and likely will lead to Walker being a second-team All-NBA.
More from LA Sports Hub
- Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
- LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
- LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
- Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
- LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month
But still, Walker is not one of the marquee names available this summer. There are so many stars hitting the free agent market this summer that Walker kind of gets lost in the fray, even after a career year.
With the Lakers’ struggles to bring in a second star thus far, Walker might seem like the perfect fit. Los Angeles does not have to chase the big names and can instead capitalize on a reduced focus on Walker.
This would at least help the front office save face as they would be able to announce the signing of a new star and would add more talent to the roster. And while that might seem like a win-win, it really is not for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Walker simply has no real fit on this roster and would only create more problems than he would solve. The team already has their primary point guard in Lonzo Ball and neither Ball nor Walker are suited for the two-guard position.
You could make the case that the two could play together and I am not completely against that notion. However, Walker is at his best when he is creating his own shots and that is going to be hard to do when you have two guys that are at their best when they have the ball and are controlling the tempo of the game.
That is also not considering Brandon Ingram, who is going to be asked to create his own looks more as well as driving to the rim and playing off-ball. Ingram is just as big of a component to this as anyone and Walker’s continued need to create his own looks might hurt his progression.
Plus, Walker is not all that great defensively and that is going to be a problem for the Lakers, who are already lacking some size and need defensive help.
The team would be much better suited going after a guy like Jimmy Butler, as big of a headache as that might be, that can at least make the Lakers better defensively when he does not have the ball.
That is a far better use of salary cap space than spending on a guy that has only been the best player on the team when the team is poor.
Next. Free agents that won't sign with LA. dark
If push comes to shove I wouldn’t really be surprised if the Los Angeles Lakers just signed Walker to save face and sell jerseys. However, realistically, the Lakers should stay away from Walker.