DETROIT — Kemba Walker's brief stint with the Pistons is likely coming to an end soon.
The Pistons are expected to waive the four-time All-Star guard ahead of Monday's deadline to set the regular-season roster, according to a report by The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The decision to release Walker puts Detroit at the required maximum of 15 guaranteed roster spots — 17 overall with the team's two-way players.
Walker, a 6-foot guard, was acquired by the Pistons in a trade on July 6 that brought No. 13 overall pick Jalen Duren to Detroit in exchange for a 2025 first-round draft pick (via the Milwaukee Bucks). The team revealed that Walker would not be with the team on Sept. 26, the day before the start of training camp.
Once Walker was acquired by the Pistons, it was reported that Walker was seeking a buy-out with the team, likely due to the logjam of guards on Detroit's roster — Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes and Cory Joseph.
Walker averaged 11.6 points, 3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 37 games for the Knicks last season, well under his career marks of 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals. He spent the majority of his 11-year NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets, before he was traded to the Boston Celtics.
He signed with his hometown Knicks in 2021, but eventually fell out of the rotation and was traded to Detroit in a salary dump.
Walker recently told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe that he "feels as good as he's felt in a long time" and he's just waiting on his opportunity.
Cunningham's offensive mindset
Cunningham averaged 10.5 points, 5 rebounds and 4.8 assists during the Pistons' four-game preseason slate.
The second-year guard often chose his spots carefully before deciding when to get his teammates involved and when was the right time to look for his own shot. Some of Cunningham's ball-handling responsibility is being shared with Ivey, and the two are learning how to play off of each other.
When asked if Cunningham will have a similar approach for the regular season, coach Dwane Casey said his star guard will have to read defenses and decide how to facilitate the offense.
"If he has an open shot, he has the green light to do it," Casey said. "But it's one of those things you can't rush and say, 'Hey, go be aggressive.' The defense will dictate a lot of that."
Cunningham shot 30% from the field and 21% from 3 during four exhibition games, but those numbers should improve once he gets into a rhythm. Last season, Cunningham's offensive game came together after the All-Star break when he averaged 21.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists for the rest of the season.
Offense should come naturally for Cunningham, who's able to do multiple things on the floor. However, Casey isn't worried about that side of the ball. He wants his team's attention on defense and more so the rebounding department, not just from Cunningham, but from most of the players on the perimeter.
"For us to be successful, for us to grow as a team and win, (Cade) doesn't have to score 30 a night," Casey said. "But he has to be that guy who makes the right decision. If he scores, it's great. But if he doesn't, what he contributes to winning may not always come through scoring."
