Apr 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) tries to grab a ball while falling during the second half against the Miami Heat in game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Heat defe
Apr 28, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Bobcats guard Kemba Walker (15) tries to grab a ball while falling during the second half against the Miami Heat in game four of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Heat defeated the Bobcats 109-98. REUTERS

Now this ruins the plans of other teams such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Boston Celtics and the Phoenix Suns who are negotiating to keep their own point guards when their contracts expire. ESPN reports that the Charlotte Hornets and rising point guard Kemba Walker agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $48 million dollars that will keep the slashing guard out of the free agency market in 2015.

The team and Walker were able to secure a deal before the Oct. 31st deadline which would have made the starting point guard a restricted free agent beyond the said time frame. Walker joins a crop of talented young stars that were able to extend their stay with the teams that drafted them. Among those players are Cleveland's Kyrie Irving, Orlando's Nikola Vucevic, Phoenix's Markieff Morris and Denver's Kenneth Faried.

The said development puts immense pressure on other teams who are negotiating with their own point guards for a contract extension. The Walker deal which is around $12 million annually can set a new bar for compensation for young point guards. Early in the summer, John Wall extended for $80 million spread for five years. Many observers can point out that the Toronto Raptors got a discount in Kyle Lowry, a better player than Walker right now, who also signed a four-year $48 million deal. With Walker signing a similar deal, soon-to-be free agents Ricky Rubio, Goran Dragic and Rajon Rondo can leverage for a similar or greater extension which could ruin the market for the league flush with talented court generals.

Nevertheless, team owner and president Michael Jordan sees the locking up of Walker to a multi-year deal as an important move for the franchise. This removes one less worry of a player fleeing in the summer since center Al Jefferson is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2015. The job security of Walker could be a positive sign to Jefferson's camp that the team is keen on bringing back this core.

"You are always concerned -- more so with Al because he's totally unrestricted," Hornets owner Michael Jordan told ESPN."They are core pieces of what we're trying to do ... I'd like to keep both of those guys."