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Now it’s official, official.
Kemba Walker, the Bronx native who played ball in high school at Rice in Harlem, returns home to lead the point for the Knicks.
“We are more than delighted to bring native New Yorker Kemba Walker back to the city he is proud to call home,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement on Wednesday. “He is an extraordinary talent whose skills and leadership will be a tremendous addition to our organization.
“We’ve seen how well he performs on The Garden stage before and look forward to witnessing it every night in front of his family, friends and the best fans in the league.”
Even though this is a fallback option, given Walker’s recent injury history, the addition could turn into a storybook signing for the franchise if the 31-year-old does go and lead. the Knicks for a second straight playoff spot.
Walker, a four-time All-Star, regressed last season with an arthritic left knee that required stem cell injections before the season. He was only able to play 43 games for Boston and struggled to make just three of five playoff games in a first-round playoff loss to the Nets. Walker averaged 19.3 points last season and 4.9 assists, but his shooting percentage fell to 42%.
In a surprising twist, the Celtics replaced Walker by adding veteran point guard Dennis Schroder on a one-year, $ 6 million contract on Tuesday.
The Knicks finished fourth in the conference last season with a 41-31 record, but several Eastern Conference teams behind them have improved, including Miami, Chicago, Charlotte and Washington.
The Knicks believe they did so too with an upgrade from Evan Fournier’s shooting guard on Reggie Bullock and Walker on point guard Elfrid Payton, who signed with NBA runner-up Phoenix Suns.
A source confirmed that Walker gave up around $ 20.5 million in a buyout with Oklahoma City to become a free agent and sign with the Knicks, who had $ 8 million in cap space.
“The off-season movements were great. We added a guy, Kemba Walker, who can do it all, someone I can learn from, compete to expand my game, ”said guard Immanuel Quickley after Monday’s summer league game. “I want to be where he finally is someday.
“So no better guy than Kemba Walker to come in – just like I learned from Derrick Rose, I can learn from someone else. And Evan Fournier, competitor, shooter – so we added shooting and defense. I think we’ve made some big moves this offseason.
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