Multiple sources have reportedly revealed that the Knicks have reached an agreement with guard Walker, who will miss all of the remaining games of the season. Knicks president said: "We are very supportive of Walker's decision to choose to miss all the remaining fixtures of the season and use this time to prepare for next season, and his long-term success on the pitch remains our priority. From such words, it can be seen that Walker's absence from playing the remaining games is based on the common interests of him and the team.
After being traded to the Thunder last offseason, Walker, who was bought out by the team, chose to join the Knicks. So far, Walker has played in 37 games for the Knicks this season, averaging only 11.6 points, 3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in 25.6 minutes per game, shooting only 40.3% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range. Among them, all three figures have set new career lows, and the shooting percentage is also very unsatisfactory. However, Walker also had a highlight in December, scoring 44 points and triple-doubles in two consecutive games, and once winning the player of the week award.
At present, the reason why Walker and the Knicks will reach an agreement not to play next cannot be separated from the following points. First, while a four-time All-Star, Walker hasn't had a very happy season with the Knicks. After playing 20 games at the start of the season, head coach Thibodeau announced that Walker would fall out of the team's rotation, and he was hidden in the snow for many games until Rose was injured before Walker was reappointed by the team. In fact, in many cases, the underperforming Walker has only become a scapegoat for the Knicks' loss, and in such a team environment, Walker's departure from the team has become inevitable.
Secondly, the Knicks are close to a mess this season, and their current operations are undoubtedly to prepare for the team's next season and future. After struggling to make a return to the playoffs last season, the Knicks this season have disappointed fans. So far, they have only achieved a record of 25 wins and 34 losses, ranking only 12th in the East. With little left of the regular season schedule, the chances of the Knicks making the playoffs again this season are slim. So for now, they want to be able to make changes through trades in the offseason.
It is worth mentioning that after reaching an agreement with Walker, the Knicks management's move has been greatly questioned by the outside world. Before the trade deadline of the season, there were quite a few teams in the trade market who expressed some interest in getting Walker, but the deal for Walker did not happen because those teams did not provide chips that interested the Knicks. However, after the trade was not completed, many fans also predicted that Walker would take on important responsibilities before Rose returned, but the Knicks' final decision was to let Walker spend the rest of the schedule on the bench.
For Walker, coming to the Knicks this season was a muddy trip in his career. In fact, the main reason why the Knicks have played such a bad performance this season is because of the sluggish play of the main core of the team. According to statistics, the plus-minus of the Knicks' starters this season is the bottom of the league, which is really speechless. The most disappointing player is undoubtedly their boss Randall, who has averaged only 19.8 points per game this season, shooting only 42.1% from the field and only 30.6% from three-point range.
Randle's current contract is a four-year, $117 million top-salary contract, and this season's annual salary is as high as $23 million, but he has not played in line with his contract, and his arrogant attitude has also caused the Knicks to suffer. In addition to Randle, the team's other major rotation players have also performed rather poorly, and they all receive large contracts that occupy the team's vast salary space. In such a situation, they are the main reason for the team's poor performance, but the Knicks have made Walker, who earns only $8 million a year, a scapegoat, which is very unreasonable.
Before the trade deadline, fans were hoping that the poor Knicks would make changes through trades to impact better results for the rest of the season, and many teams were interested in trading with the Knicks. But in the end, the team only sent Knox away in exchange for Redish's trade, and they did not do anything on the day of the trade deadline, which made many fans and famous players in the outside world feel very disappointed in them, and some famous players also called for Knicks fans to boycott this hopelessly bad team. In short, under the operation of the management fans, the day when the Knicks will rebuild successfully will be far away.
For Walker, leaving the Knicks is the best option for his next career. After all, this season, walker, who is only 31 years old, has proven that he can still play well enough if he is given enough playing time. After being hidden in many games this season, the reappointed Walker has played a very amazing performance for a period of time, averaging 25 points, 9 rebounds and 8.3 assists in 3 games, shooting 41.7% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range, and leading the team to a record of 2 wins and 1 loss.
Although Walker, who has a worse defensive performance, will be a burden to the team on the defensive end, walker is still a player who can contribute enough to the team on the offensive end, after all, he has also been selected as an All-Star four times at his peak and has also been named to the Team of the Season. At the age of 31, he still has a very good quality on the offensive end. For now, because Walker is reluctant to give up the remaining salary in his contract, he has discussed a trade with the Knicks in the offseason. If they can be traded to a team that is willing to give him respect, then I believe Walker's performance will not disappoint them.
Walker is arguably the most lamentable star in recent seasons, playing for the Hornets as an All-Star, but after joining the Celtics, he has experienced a big decline in performance due to injury, and was traded to the Thunder in the offseason last season. In short, no matter which team is traded to next season, next season's journey will be very critical for Walker.