The Celtics are one of the top teams on the east side of the NBA competition and there's no doubt that jumping from Charlotte to Boston represented an upgrade for Kemba Walker. The point guard, however, revealed his signing options last summer included the New York Knicks.
Donning the Knicks jersey seemed a natural thing to do for Walker. He is New York native, after all, and in lead up to the 2019 free agency, the All-Star made declarations that his playing basketball can be credited to his connection to the city.
So it came as no surprise that the Knicks were on his list last year and Walker, appearing on The Ringer podcast, said he nearly signed with the team.
"Before Boston came along the Knicks were one of my top priorities because I was thinking they were going to get another player. But it didn't work out," Clutch Points reported the Celtics star as saying.
As things turned out, Walker made the right choice and his career is reflecting the benefits. Boston is close to clinching the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and if things will go well for the team, Walker will be playing deeper in the playoffs.
Perhaps in the few seasons to come, the Green team will be on a title run and hopefully, Walker is still part of the squad.
CBS Sports took note of the "one player" that the Boston guard was referring too. Indeed, the Knicks made preparations last year to add an NBA superstar to their roster, and the team's most notable move was trading off Kristaps Porzingis to open up cap space.
The talks then pointed to Kevin Durant jumping from the Bay Area to New York, which proved to be a dud. KD himself denied that the Knicks were in consideration and he was talking sense.
It was clear that when the news came out of KD joining up with the Nets, his top pick was Brooklyn. Durant's close pal, Kyrie Irving was headed there and it's no secret that the two have been plotting to build a superteam there.
Durant never saw the Knicks as an option after Golden State, and good for Walker his fate brought him to Boston. The guard's stint with the team so far can be described as flourishing. In his first year with the Celtics, Walker made the All-Star cut for the first time and at the age of 30.
In the end, ending up with the Celtics is the best thing not only for Walker but also for New York. The Knicks building up will do well getting point guard that is just starting to blossom and Walker doesn't fit the bill, CBS said.
