Cody Zeller Opens Lemonade Stand to Keep Kemba Walker in Charlotte

Kemba Walker’s situation in Charlotte is one of the more fascinating stories heading into free agency. By making third team All-NBA this year, Walker qualifies for a max contract extension worth $221 million. As the Hornets’ only homegrown star, they have an obvious incentive to keep him. But they’ve failed to put a competitive team around Walker in his seven years there, and there’s an argument to be made they’re better off letting Walker leave than tying up that much money into a very good, but not superstar caliber, player.

Cody Zeller doesn’t want to hear any of that. He wants to keep Walker a Hornet, and will go to great lengths to do so. Even open up his own lemonade stand as a fundraiser to entice the longtime franchise face to stay.

That’s a good teammate right there. The Hornets do have cap space, so the actual dollar amount isn’t really the problem, but it’s the thought that counts.

Walker thought it was hilarious and said so in the comments of the post, and every little thing counts. Zeller’s teammates should probably get on board here, because even if the Hornets do offer up the money, Walker has said his first priority is winning, and recent history has shown that may not be in the cards in Charlotte for a while. Of course, leaving would require him turning down over $200 million, a tall task for even an NBA player.

What Walker does will remain an item of great interest for many a team around the league, but Zeller seems willing to do whatever it takes to keep his point guard, even if it means manning the lemonade stand until July 1.