The New York Knicks and shooting guard kemba walker agreed that the four-time All-Star will be sidelined for the rest of the team’s schedule, allowing him to work out in preparation for the 2022-23 season, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Walker, 31, signed a two-year deal with the Knicks after an August purchase from the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the partnership was plagued by flaws that ultimately led the organization to collaborate with his agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports on a plan for Walker.
Walker will have a contract that expires this summer and that will offer an opportunity for the Knicks and Schwartz to work in trade scenarios in the offseason.
New York is expected to have the guard again Derrick Rose in the lineup after missing two months with ankle surgery.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau removed Walker from the Knicks’ rotation in mid-November after he averaged 11.7 points in the team’s first 18 games. After missing 10 games. Injuries and COVID-19 cases prompted Thibodeau to reintroduce Walker to the lineup, and he responded with 29 points in a Dec. 18 loss to the Boston Celtics, and a 44-point performance in a loss to the Washington Wizards on Thursday. then.
Walker was in and out of the Knicks’ lineup due to knee soreness in January, averaging eight points in 22 minutes in February before the All-Star break as the Knicks lost seven of eight games.
Walker spent his first eight seasons in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets, where he became an All-Star and a cornerstone of the franchise. After a trade to Boston in 2019, Walker spent two seasons with the Celtics before the trade to Oklahoma City last year.
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Kemba ends his season with the Knicks