Report: Kemba Walker, Hornets 'Have Each Other as Top Priorities' in Free Agency

Guard Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Hornets are reportedly prioritizing each other heading toward the offseason.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, re-signing with the Hornets is Walker's No. 1 priority and vice versa. Charlotte has the inside track on re-signing Walker because it can sign him to a five-year, $221 million super maximum contract since he made the All-NBA Third Team this season.

Charania noted that while there is "doubt" around the NBA regarding the Hornets' willingness to give Walker a super-max extension, owner Michael Jordan's "loyalty" has always been with Walker.

The 29-year-old Walker has remained steadfast in his desire to stay with the Hornets. In a recent interview with The Athletic's Jared Weiss, Walker called re-signing with Charlotte his "first priority" and added: "That's where I've been for eight years and that's all I know. Not many people get a chance to play for one NBA team throughout their career."

Walker was selected by the then-Charlotte Bobcats with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, and he has since developed into one of the league's top scorers.

In 82 games this season, Walker averaged a career-high 25.6 points per game to go along with 5.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He also shot 43.4 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from long range, while making a personal-best 3.2 trifectas per contest.

Kemba Walker Reel

Despite his big-time production, Walker was only able to lead the Hornets to a 39-43 record, which left it two games short of the playoffs. The Hornets have reached the playoffs twice since Walker entered the league in 2011-12.

Walker has been named an All-Star in each of the past three seasons, though, and remains Charlotte's best shot at being competitive in the coming years.

If the Hornets fail to re-sign Walker, they will likely be forced into a full-on rebuild since a core of Nicolas Batum, Malik Monk and Cody Zeller probably won't do much damage without a star like Walker to bring everything together.

Even if Charlotte does re-sign Walker, a significant roster overhaul is needed if Jordan wants the Hornets to be anything more than a fringe playoff contender moving forward.