NBA Trade Rumors: Cavs Would Have Traded for Kemba Walker If LeBron James Stayed

The Cleveland Cavaliers were reportedly set to trade the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for point guard Kemba Walker if LeBron James planned to re-sign with them rather than leave to join the Los Angeles Lakers.

On Tuesday, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com reported the potential blockbuster and predicted Walker will ultimately sign a new contract with the Hornets since he "might not carry as much trade value as Charlotte hopes" with a limited number of possible suitors.

The 28-year-old UConn product is set make $12 million during the 2018-19 season, the last year of his contract before potentially becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, per Spotrac.

Lowe noted it's unlikely rebuilding teams would be willing to sacrifice assets or cap space for Walker. So the market is restricted to squads with legit chances of taking down the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors, a total that can be counted on one hand.

Walker averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 80 appearances for the Hornets last season. He ranked eighth among point guards in player efficiency rating, ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons and Washington Wizards' John Wall, among others, per ESPN.com.

Kemba Walker Game Highlights

A small-ball starting lineup that featured Walker, James, Kyle Korver, Rodney Hood and Kevin Love with a variety of solid bench assets would have made the Cavs the favorite in the Eastern Conference once again.

Instead, James bolted for the bright lights of L.A., and Cleveland retained the No. 8 pick, which it used to select University of Alabama point guard Collin Sexton.

It will be intriguing to see whether LeBron's Lakers could become a possible destination for Walker at the trade deadline in February. They feature the combination of Lonzo Ball and Rajon Rondo at the position, but neither is a major scoring weapon.

If Los Angeles plays well enough during the season's first half to believe it's a legit title contender, the potential of a James-Walker duo could come back to the forefront.