The New York Knicks have been one of the most disappointing teams this NBA season with a 25-34 record in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Coming off a year in which the team made the playoffs for the first time since 2013, it’s a huge step backward.
Hopes were high for Knicks fans with the offseason additions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, but things have just not worked to this point in the season.
Walker has been in and out of head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation all year. Now it appears that Walker will now be out of the rotation for good. The Knicks and Walker have officially agreed that he will be on the sideline for the rest of the season, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: The New York Knicks and guard Kemba Walker have agreed that the four-time All-Star will be sidelined for the remainder of the team’s season. Story: https://t.co/P98Qf8uJB6
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2022
The four-time All-Star signed with the Knicks back in August on a two-year deal when his contract was bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The trade deadline has come and gone and the Knicks will probably look for a potential trade for Walker in the offseason.
Walker will be on an expiring contract this summer and that’ll offer an opportunity for the Knicks and his agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports to work on trade scenarios in the offseason.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2022
A big reason that the Knicks most likely decided not to play Walker for the rest of the season is the potential return of point guard Derrick Rose, who will reportedly come back in the coming weeks. The team is also most likely in rebuilding mode and wants to lean on younger options off the bench like Immanuel Quickley and Miles Mcbride for the rest of the year.
[ESPN.com]
