Kemba Walker is among the list of NBA All Stars that will become free agents this Summer - and although the Charlotte Hornets have expressed a desire to resign the 28-year old point guard, the Dallas Mavericks have reportedly made him one of their top targets.
Word of the Mavericks' plan to sign Walker this summer first surfaced months ago, but a new report from The New York Times' Marc Stein confirms that Dallas is looking to acquire "shooters, athleticism and veterans," with Walker at the top of their list. Additionally, Stein notes that the Mavs are also targeting Milwaukee Bucks All Star shooting guard Khris Middleton, in hopes of landing at least one of the two.
Entering the biggest summer of his career, Walker says he just wants to win.
"I want to win; I want to win," Walker recently told the Charlotte Observer. "That's something that I'm going to have to really sit down and think about with my family, with my agent, with the people closest to me in my life that will help me make that decision."
Middleton, meanwhile, is part of a Milwaukee Bucks team that had the best record in the NBA during the regular season. The Bucks are currently knotted at 1-1 in their second-round series with the Boston Celtics.
The Mavs finished the year 33-49, and will lose their 2019 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks (if it falls outside of the top-5) as part of the Luka Doncic-Trae Young trade. Dallas' record ranks ninth worst in the NBA, meaning they have a 26.3% chance of landing inside the top-4 and, therefore, keeping their 2019 pick.