Reports: Kemba Walker close to signing with Dallas Mavericks, could be done as early as this week

Former All-Star Kemba Walker is close to signing with the Dallas Mavericks. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Walker's deal could be done as early as this week.

Walker has been out of the league this season. The former All-Star guard was traded to the Detroit Pistons for draft rights to Jalen Duren during the off-season. The rebuilding Pistons then waived his contract, leaving the former Hornets superstar without a team.

The New York Knicks essentially replaced Kemba Walker with Jalen Brunson during the previous off-season. Now, the Dallas Mavericks are hoping that Walker will be able to fill the void left behind by Brunson's departure.

The Dallas Mavericks have been yearning for another offensive creator ever since they lost Brunson to the New York Knicks this summer. Without Brunson on the team, the Mavericks have relied on superstar Luka Doncic a lot more than usual. This has led to a stagnant offense for the Mavericks. They are being compared to the Houston Rockets iso-ball during their peak-James Harden days.

The Dallas Mavericks will desperately need Walker to do well or else the franchise might end up exhausting Luka Doncic even before they reach the playoffs. Walker's arrival will also do well for Spencer Dinwiddie, who hasn't looked like himself this season.

Even if Walker could give the Mavericks 10-15 quality minutes, it would relieve the franchise massively and give coach Jason Kidd another rotation piece for the foreseeable future.

Kemba Walker's NBA career has been on a downward spiral due to several injuries

Kemba Walker is a former All-Star in the NBA. The former Charlotte Hornets superstar received four All-Star nods in a row, from 2017 to 2020. Walker played a pivotal role in keeping the Hornets relevant as the franchise kept on tottering from season to season without any meaningful direction.

Walker is also the Hornets' all-time leading scorer in franchise history. His career probably peaked in the 2018-19 season when he received an All-NBA third team selection. However, due to lingering knee issues, Walker has been unable to sustain that level of greatness.

His lingering knee issues, though, have brought about a steep decline in his play. Walker went from being an All-Star to not being in the league at all in the span of two years.

Walker was never known to be a good defender, even during his best years in the league. With his knees hampering him, his defensive game has taken even more of a backseat. This has made him a huge liability on the basketball court. The former Hornets superstar is not a great off-the-catch shooter either, so it has become tough for him to make a positive impact.

The Dallas Mavericks will hope that Kemba Walker will be raring to go after a huge gap that would have rejuvenated his knees.