The Charlotte Hornets are already putting plans into place for Kemba Walker’s departure according to the Athletic’s Shams Charania, and one of their targets may be Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier.

Walker is reportedly on his way to Boston on a max deal, which would require the Celtics to renounce Rozier’s rights, sending him into unrestricted free agency. For Rozier, that would be a big boost -- waiting for the restricted market to open up could kill some of his value as other teams find starting lead guards. But as an unrestricted free agent, he could be a target of several teams looking to add a young player who showed flashes during Boston’s 2018 run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

For Charlotte, the calculus is interesting -- Rozier will likely be looking for longer-term money, which was the sticking point for a superior player in Walker. Rozier does fit the team’s new timeline a little better (and maybe he will be significantly cheaper, although the New York Knicks are also reportedly interested), but he struggled last year in a different role. Rozier has pined for an opportunity to start somewhere, and his starting stats were significantly better than his stats coming off the bench in 2018-19.

In any case, the Celtics appear to be closing in on Walker. If the Hornets are working on back-up options, they pretty clearly have no intention of offering Walker a contract that could change his mind. Unless something major changes in the next 30 hours, Terry Rozier’s career in Boston is likely over.