NBA

Hornets ready to trade Kemba Walker to kick off fire sale

The Hornets are ready to blow it up and start over, starting with their biggest star.

ESPN.com reported Friday that the Hornets are ready to entertain trade offers for point guard Kemba Walker, an All-Star last season who is averaging 21.7 points per game this year. The website also reported the Hornets are willing to trade other players like Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams, Dwight Howard and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Interest in those other four players is limited, ESPN reported, because they are all on expensive contracts. Walker, who is making $12 million this year and is under contract through next season, is on a team-friendly deal and is a valuable asset.

Charlotte will likely try to get another team to take at least one of those other four players as part of a package deal with Walker to unload salaries and try to reset. The Hornets/Bobcats have not won a playoff series and not finished higher than sixth in the Eastern Conference since returning as a franchise in 2004-05.

Walker, a 27-year-old Bronx native who starred at Rice High School in Harlem and then Connecticut, will be pursued by many teams, though no specific interest has been reported in the early stages.

The NBA trade deadline is Feb. 8.