Dallas Mavericks: Why Kemba Walker is still a possibility

After qualifying for a supermax contract can the Dallas Mavericks still realistically sign Kemba Walker this summer in free agency?

For months the Dallas Mavericks have been linked with free-agent-to-be, Kemba Walker. Walker, the 6’1” Charlotte All-Star, was said to be growing weary of losing and looked to spread his wings and find a winner to join this summer.

While the Dallas Mavericks may not be that obvious upgrade in the winner department, they do appear to have one of the NBA’s rosier futures with building blocks, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, firmly in place.

Additionally, The Dallas Mavericks are in a relatively good place cap-wise. With Tim Hardaway Jr the only true ugly contract on the books, and Doncic still playing on his rookie deal. The addition of Kemba could vault the Mavs from a lottery team to a top-5 Western Conference playoff team in just one season.

If he’s offered the supermax, he’s going to take it. But that doesn’t mean Charlotte is guaranteed to offer him the supermax.

While many MFFL have been hesitant to endorse Walker-to-the-Mavs (like yours truly), the match wasn’t necessarily seen as a bad one either. Sure Walker is small and would be a defensive liability on a team already full of defensive liabilities, but he’s a proven scorer that would undeniably increase the Mavs chances of making a run in the playoffs.

And juuuuust when many of us were about to be talked into Kemba,, something like this happens.

Last week, Kemba Walker earned third team All-NBA qualifying him for a supermax deal this summer. This equates to a 5-year $221 million contract if Kemba stays in Charlotte. If he walks he leaves roughly $80 million on the table.

Now I value winning just as much as the next guy but if the cost of joining a winner comes at $80 million, I’ll be fine floundering in mediocrity. As a reasonable human being, I suspect Walker will feel similarly.