Boston, MA - 10/25/2019 - (4th quarter) Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker (8) was pumped after the Celtics took a 110-106 lead on a 25 foot three pointer by Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7), not pictured, late in the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics host the Toronto Raptors in the teams' home opener at TD Garden. - (Barry Chin/Globe Staff), Section: Sports, Reporter: Adam Himmelsbach, Topic: 26Celtics-Raptors, LOID: 9.0.1214463522.
After spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Charlotte Hornets, Kemba Walker signed with the Boston Celtics in the NBA 2019 free agency period, giving the team a viable replacement for the playmaker for Kyrie Irving. However, as he recently admitted, he took the idea of signing with the New York Knicks seriously and felt they were “definitely a priority” before deciding to sign with their Atlantic Division rival.
“Before Boston arrived, the Knicks [were] one of my top priorities because I thought they were going to have another player. But it didn’t work, ”Walker said in The Ringer’s R2C2 podcast, in a clip that can be viewed here.
According to CBS Sports, Walker “laughed at his response” when he denied that the unnamed player he was referring to was Kevin Durant, who, like Irving, signed with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019 off-season. The outlet pointed out. that it was rumored that the 2013-14 MVP NBA would be headed to New York during the 2018-19 campaign. However, he eventually admitted in February 2019 that speculation was largely a product of the media advertising campaign and that he had never publicly stated that he wanted to join the organization as a free agency.
