Kemba Walker: Knicks Were 'Definitely' Considered Before Signing with Celtics

Kemba Walker had a chance to play close to home by signing with the New York Knicks as a free agent this past offseason, but he felt the Boston Celtics were a "better fit."  

"It was [a consideration]. It was. They were definitely one of the teams I was looking at in free agency," Walker said before Saturday's game against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, according to the New York Daily News' Stefan Bondy. "But I picked Boston. I just felt it was a better fit for me."

The Bronx product noted he didn't believe playing in New York would have been a distraction: "I think it can be a distraction just because you obviously grew up there, you know so many people. But that wasn't the case for me. It wasn't even about that. It was just more about the fit and style of play and things of that nature and I just thought that Boston was the best fit and opportunity for me."

Walker's decision to sign with Boston was one of the NBA's worst-kept secrets. All signs in the days leading up to free agency pointed to the three-time All-Star's shift to the Celtics.

After signing a four-year, $141 million deal with Boston, he revealed he chose the Celtics because "they've been winning for years":

That's an area the Knicks struggled with in recent years.

New York has not finished with a winning record or made the postseason since 2012-13. The Knicks' record has declined in each of the past three seasons, and they finished with the worst mark in basketball last season at 17-65.

The Knicks have not advanced beyond the Eastern Conference semifinals since 2000 and have not hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy since 1973. It's that type of consistent losing that led Kevin Durant, who was also a free agent this summer, to say earlier this month that "the cool thing right now is not the Knicks."

Boston, meanwhile, has reached the playoffs in each of the last five seasons, winning 49 games last year. The Celtics have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in two of the past three seasons, with the exception coming via second-round exit last season.

The Celtics' 17 titles rank No. 1 all-time.

Walker once said in August 2018 that he couldn't see himself "in a Knicks jersey" because he never planned on leaving the Charlotte Hornets, the team that drafted him ninth overall in 2011. But when the Hornets declined to give him a max contract, he explored all of his options.