The Celtics will head into next season with some big changes after losing both Irving and Al Horford in free agency.
They acted quickly to work cap space in order for them to bring in quality replacements in Walker and Kanter.
Walker has signed a four-year deal to become their new franchise point guard, while Kanter comes in to try and help the Celtics on the defensive end as well as being a prolific rebounder.
The 27-year-old has been moved around the league over the past two years, playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Portland Trail Blazers.
While his talents on the floor are well documented, it’s his charisma off the court which has often won him plenty of fans.
When it seemed as though Irving had his heart set on re-signing in Boston, the 2016 NBA champion did a commercial with his dad at the TD Garden.
In the advert, Irving says how his father is “the reason I wear No 11” and he goes on to say “I want to be the reason that no one else will”.
And when asked why he chose to take the now-vacated No 11 jersey, Kanter couldn’t help but take a cheeky dig at the former Celtics point guard.
“It was my old jersey number and I want to be the reason that no one else will [smiling],” he said.
“I had to say it.”
Kanter went on to reveal how a phone call from Walker helped convince him that a move to Boston was right for him.
“He didn’t call me on his phone, he called me on Danny’s [Ainge] phone,” he said.
“I answered the phone and it was a deep voice and I was like, ‘who’s this?
“He said that’s Kemba and that he wants you to be here and we’re very excited about it.
“That made me very excited and feel special.
“He’s an All-Star guy and a superstar like him calling me and saying, ‘we want you to be here’.
“That made me feel very special and I talked to my manager and said, ‘I think this is the place I want to play for.”