One of the Dallas Mavericks’ top free agent targets is reportedly headed elsewhere

The Dallas Mavericks were reportedly in the running for Charlotte Hornets All-Star guard Kemba Walker.

Now, it looks like they’re out of the running for the former UConn star before the 2019 NBA free agency period begins at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday.

Walker is expected to sign a 4-year, $141 million contract with the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The idea of Walker teaming up with rookie of the year Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in Dallas had to have made Mavericks fans salivate. He averaged 25.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game last season in Charlotte.

Dallas will now turn its attention toward finalizing a long-term deal with Porzingis and filling up the roster to accommodate its two young stars.

This story was originally published June 29, 2019 at 4:34 PM.

William Wilkerson

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

William Wilkerson was a sports editor for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and previously was executive editor of college-team sites for CBS Interactive/247Sports and also worked at ESPN, Scout.com and the Austin American-Statesman.