Report: Pistons Will "Certainly" Consider Trade For Kemba Walker
(97.1 The Ticket) Kemba Walker is available, and the Pistons are interested.
Could they acquire him before the Feb. 8 trade deadline?
They "certainly will look at it," the Free Press reported on Friday afternoon. "As always in hearing things, question is what would it take to get it done. What's their ask?"
ESPN reported on Friday morning that the Hornets are open to trading Walker in an effort to hit the reset button:
"Charlotte has been encouraging teams to make offers and appears eager to discuss attaching Walker to a larger trade in which another team would take on one of the Hornets' several far-less-desirable contracts."
Per ESPN, the Hornets are looking for a "good, young player or a first-round draft pick" in any trade involving Walker.
The Pistons are believed to be pursuing a point guard to compensate for the loss of Reggie Jackson, who's sidelined for at least another month with a sprained ankle. Detroit is 3-7 in his absence and has slipped to ninth in the East after a 14-6 start.
Any package for Walker would likely include Jackson.
The 27-year-old Walker, an All-Star last season, is having another strong year. He's averaging 21.7 points and 5.8 rebounds and shooting about 35 percent from three. He's due $12 million per year through the 2018-19 season.
The Hornets are trying to shed the contracts of the likes of Nicolas Batum (four years, $100 million), Dwight Howard (two years, $47 million), Marvin Williams (three years, $42 million) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (three years, $39 million).
Given the Pistons' bloated payroll, a third team would likely have to be involved in any trade bringing Walker to Detroit.