Mitch Kupchak Says Hornets Hope Kemba Walker Plays Entire Career in Charlotte

With Kemba Walker entering the final year of his contract, there has been speculation that his days in a Charlotte Hornets uniform could be numbered.

Charlotte general manager Mitch Kupchak hopes that's not the case.

On Friday, Kupchak told reporters that he hopes Walker will be a Hornet for life:

Walker's name popped up at the trade deadline back in February, and Bleacher Report's Ken Berger wrote on Friday that the Cleveland Cavaliers are still pursuing the point guard following the 2018 NBA draft. 

Hornets owner Michael Jordan revealed to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell back in January that the team is not looking to trade Walker but "would listen to opportunities": "We would not just give him up. I love Kemba Walker. I would not trade him for anything but an All-Star player.”

Thus far, nobody has apparently blown the Hornets away with an offer.

Since being taken out of UConn with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Walker has transformed himself into a two-time All-Star. The 28-year-old averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game this past season.

Charlotte has come a long way since adding Walker to the mix. Having won just seven games as the Bobcats during his rookie campaign, the Hornets made the playoffs in his third season and won 48 games in 2015-16. However, sustained success has not happened during his tenure. Walker has yet to lead his team to a winning record in consecutive seasons, and he has failed to lead it to the postseason in each of the past two seasons.

Kupchak and Co. have wasted no time in making moves this summer. Charlotte has already agreed to trade former All-Star Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets. And while the front office will look to put a winner on the court in 2018-19, locking up Walker appears to be the top priority in Buzz City.