Kemba Walker wants to stay in Charlotte, says Hornets legend Muggsy Bogues
Tuesday 2 April 2019 11:32, UK
Hornets legend Muggsy Bogues says he knows franchise star Kemba Walker wants to stay in Charlotte, but admits the soon-to-be free agent has 'a big decision to make'.
Walker has carried the Hornets to the fringes of the Eastern Conference playoff places but a momentum-halting run of three successive defeats has left them on the verge of elimination from the postseason.
Charlotte's franchise star Walker, an All-Star for the last three seasons, is a free agent this summer and former Hornet Bogues, who now works as an ambassador for the team, says both the player and the organisation face huge decisions over their best player's future.
"Kemba has had a stellar year. I can't imagine him playing anywhere else but he's in a situation now where he has to make a decision. Does he want to return to a team that constantly keep missing the playoffs - they made the postseason twice with him but did not advance at all - in the hope that someone comes to help him with the cause?"
Adding difference-making players to help Walker is going to be difficult given the current construction of the Charlotte roster and the other players they have under contract.
"[They have committed big money on] the contracts of Nic Batum and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Marvin Williams has had a contract extension. Now Kemba's contract is up. You've got to figure out which way you want to go. Do you want to rebuild or do you want to try and make another playoff run? I don't know how many free agents you can bring given the salaries they currently have on the books."
Walker, who is averaging a career-best 25.2 points per game, is set to enter the summer as a free agent alongside fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. Aged 28, time is running out for him to make a deep playoff run with the Hornets.
Bogues cites the Hornets' failure to add players through the Draft as the key reason Charlotte have failed to surround Walker with meaningful support in the prime of his career.
"The Hornets have always been a small market team but were always able to get stars," he said. "The way we got them was through the Draft. We drafted properly where the guys picked panned out. More recently, we've had high picks that haven't panned out. We've got make better decisions in terms of who we are selecting. Do the homework with scouting and make sure the players we draft has the potential to be what we think he is going to be."
Should Walker decide to pursue his career in a new city, Bogues knows it will be a major loss.
"Kemba came [to Charlotte] and really rejuvenated the city and got everybody excited. It would be hard to see a player of his calibre leave. He has given his heart and soul to the organisation and to the community.
"[The organisation has to] be prepared to make some tough decisions. But I know Kemba wants to be in Charlotte. I think [team owner] Michael [Jordan] and [general manager] Mitch Kupchak will find a way to make sure that happens."
