Inside The Thunder

Report: Details of the Kemba Walker Buyout Revealed

Kemba Walker reportedly left nearly $20 million on the table with the Thunder as a result of his move to the New York Knicks

Ryan Chapman

The details of Kemba Walker’s buyout with the Oklahoma City Thunder have been reported.

Keith Smith of Spotrac reported that Walker left nearly $20 million on the table after agreeing to be bought out of the final two years of his contract so that he could sign with the New York Knicks.

There was a reported $74 million still owed to Walker over the next two seasons before the buyout, but the veteran guard’s move to the Knicks appears to have offset that amount by a significant amount, allowing to save the Thunder plenty of money while still clearing a path for their young players to get more run in the 2021-22 season.

Oklahoma City and San Antonio were the two teams with the most cap space this free agency period by a mile, and while the Thunder didn’t end up splashing the cash on a marquee singing, keeping the books this clean will allow OKC to remain a salary dump target this season. The Thunder could still take on an expiring contract or a perceived “bad” contract at the trade deadline and acquire even more draft compensation, something Sam Presti is doing at historic levels right now.

After the Walker buyout, the Thunder still have approximately $12 million in cap space per Spotrac, not to mention plenty of maneuverability created by Trade Exceptions, two of which created in the Trevor Ariza trade and the George Hill trade that will last until February.

The Walker buyout turns out to be a very good deal for both Walker and Presti despite the fact that OKC was unable to entice another team into trading for the former Hornets and Celtics guard. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan has worked in the Oklahoma City market for two years for 107.7 FM The Franchise, The Flagship Station for Oklahoma Sooners Football. Along with covering the Sooners, he is also in his second season as a credentialed media member covering the Thunder. In December, Ryan joined AllSooners.com to cover Sooners. Ryan has also covered the Oklahoma City Dodgers (AAA affiliate of the LA Dodgers) and the Oklahoma City Energy (USL Championship). 

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