Adding Kemba to the Pelicans’ roster is a no-brainer for New Orleans. The tricky part would be ensuring that Charlotte is willing to part ways, and, more importantly, at what cost. At this point, there’s been no indication he is available or will be available, so it’d take Charlotte falling apart for owner Michael Jordan to decide to move him before February’s trade deadline.
On the last year of his deal, Kemba Walker is making $12 million this season and will enter free agency in the summer. The Hornets would need to fear losing him for nothing if they were to make him available. Matching his salary in a trade wouldn’t be difficult to do. Julius Randle or Solomon Hill could be used to do so, but trading for Kemba straight up would likely cost the Pelicans at least two first-rounders in the process.
Since Charlotte is stacked with hard to swallow salary, New Orleans could take other players back with Walker and give the Hornets some lesser deal or expiring salary in return. The Pelicans could package together players like Randle, Hill, Wesley Johnson and Darius Miller to take back another player, such as Nicolas Batum or Marvin Williams