Though Kemba Walker didn't accomplish everything he likely set out to achieve in his two-year stint with the Boston Celtics, it wasn't a completely empty run. He was an All-Star in 2019-20. The Celtics were a playoff team both years, with an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in his debut campaign in Boston. He averaged 19.9 points and 4.8 assists per game, showing that he was effective when healthy and, for the most part, the scoring guard that they were seeking when initially acquiring him. And according to former Celtics head coach and current president of basketball operations Brad Stevens, Walker had all the qualities of a veteran leader.
"...Coached him for two years, have nothing but great things to say about him and really good teammate, really good player, really good person, easy to be around every day," Stevens said in a press conference. "I think that's what made it the most difficult part of it, obviously.
"(I) just really liked Kemba, period, end of story."
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And it's probably for these reasons — not the fact that the Celtics came up very short of expectations in 2021 amid injuries and poor play — that the breakup is so hard on everyone. You can include Walker, himself, in that group as well. According to what sources told Celtics writer Jared Weiss, the 31-year-old point guard was "heartbroken" over the trade, especially due to the relationships he fostered with his teammates. You could tell that when things were going well, the vibes between Celtics' players were positive.
The cause of Walker's heartbreak probably isn't his landing spot, Oklahoma City, seeing as he might not be there for long anyway. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Sam Presti could continue to do his thing and flip Walker for more assets, finding a situation that will benefit both the veteran guard and the Thunder in the long term.
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