Boston Celtics trading Kemba Walker, 2023 first-rounder to Oklahoma City Thunder

Two weeks after changing Danny Ainge as president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, Brad Stevens made a seismic first transfer in his new function.

Boston is sending All-Star level guard Kemba Walker, the sixteenth choose on this yr’s NBA draft and a 2025 second-round choice to the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round choose, the groups introduced Friday.

It’s uncommon for any commerce to occur earlier than subsequent week’s NBA mix, not to mention one this important. However Stevens has a long-standing relationship with Thunder common supervisor Sam Presti, and the deal completed key aims for each franchises.

“Kemba is a real skilled and an ideal teammate and participant,” Stevens stated in an announcement. “I wish to thank him for his large affect, and the constructive contribution he’s made each to the Celtics and the Metropolis of Boston.”

The Celtics get important monetary flexibility as Stevens tries to retool the roster round younger stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Walker is owed roughly $73 million over the subsequent two years, whereas Horford is owed $53 million — $41 million assured — over the identical two years.

That flexibility will give Boston the potential functionality to re-sign guard Evan Fournier, whom they acquired at this yr’s commerce deadline and who can be an unrestricted free agent this summer season, whereas additionally reuniting the Celtics with Horford, who spent three years with them earlier than signing his present cope with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019.

Oklahoma Metropolis, then again, is constant to amass draft capital because it rebuilds its roster round Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder have three first-round picks on this yr’s draft: their very own, Boston’s, and both the fifth choose or the 18th choose, relying on whether or not Oklahoma Metropolis will get Houston’s top-4-protected first-rounder after Tuesday’s NBA draft lottery. The Thunder now have 18 first-round picks over the subsequent seven drafts.

The commerce additionally continues a constant development beneath Presti for Oklahoma Metropolis to work with gamers to seek out them an appropriate new dwelling, one thing he has performed with Chris Paul, Danny Inexperienced and now Horford after buying all three throughout the previous a number of months.

Oklahoma Metropolis will work with Walker similarly, sources stated.

The transfer brings an finish to a tumultuous two years for Walker, 31, with the Celtics after his celebrated signing in July 2019 to switch Kyrie Irving because the crew’s start line guard. After being one of many NBA’s most sturdy gamers throughout his eight years in Charlotte to start his profession, lacking a complete of 35 video games, he has missed 45 the previous two seasons, together with 29 this yr alone.

After spending many of the 2023 calendar yr battling left knee points, Walker underwent a 12-week strengthening program within the offseason to attempt to enhance the knee, lacking the beginning of the season, after which was deliberately held out of 1 half of each back-to-back set. However Walker, who averaged 19.3 factors and 4.9 assists in 43 video games, nonetheless wound up sitting out the ultimate two video games of Boston’s season — Video games 4 and 5 of the Celtics’ first-round playoff exit by the hands of the Brooklyn Nets — with a bone bruise in that very same left knee.

“It’s robust,” Walker stated after the Celtics misplaced Recreation 5, in what turned his ultimate public feedback as a member of the crew. “It’s been actually robust, particularly as a result of over the course of my profession, I’ve performed so many video games once I’ve been wholesome.

“I got here to Boston to be part of these particular runs and be part of high-intensity video games and followers going wild, and I wasn’t capable of be part of that, sadly. Simply attempt to get proper. I obtained to get proper.”

Horford, who turned 35 earlier this month, performed effectively in 28 video games for Oklahoma Metropolis, averaging 14.2 factors, 6.7 rebounds and three.4 assists in 27.9 minutes per sport, earlier than he and the Thunder mutually agreed to close him down for the remainder of the season to raised guarantee they might discover a suitor for him this offseason. He’ll possible be Boston’s beginning heart subsequent season.

He thanked the Thunder workers and his teammates in a tweet, including “Whereas it was brief, it was firstclass all the way in which and me and my household are extraordinarily grateful and appreciative.”

Brown, 21, impressed as a two-way participant earlier than signing a multiyear cope with Oklahoma Metropolis, averaging 8.6 factors and eight.9 rebounds in 43 video games — together with going for 21 factors and 23 rebounds towards the Celtics on March 27 in Oklahoma Metropolis.