The Clippers and point guard John Wall formally agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $13.2M, according to a tweet from Klutch Sports Group.
Wall reached a buyout agreement earlier in the week with the Rockets and was officially cut on Tuesday, clearing waivers on Thursday. Reporting at the time of his agreement with Houston indicated that he intended to join the Clippers, likely on a deal worth the taxpayer mid-level exception. His agency has now confirmed that’s the case.
Wall has played in just 72 regular-season contests since the 2017-2018 season. Much of that missed time was due to injuries, including heel surgery and a ruptured Achilles tendon. However, he was believed to be healthy last season when he and the Rockets reached an agreement to keep him away from the team as Houston focused on developing its young backcourt.
Wall put up solid numbers during 40 games with the Rockets in 2020-21, averaging 20.6 PPG and 6.9 APG, though he shot a career-worst 40.4% from the field. His production peaked in ’16-17, when he averaged 23.1 and 10.7 APG for Washington.
The 31-year-old, who has five All-Star appearances on his résumé, will join a veteran-heavy Clippers team that aims to compete for a title in 2022-23 with a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back in the lineup. Wall will likely share ball-handling duties with guards like Reggie Jackson, Terance Mann and Norman Powell in addition to those star forwards.
The Clippers have 11 players on guaranteed contracts, with Wall, Nicolas Batum and Amir Coffey set to sign new deals. That leaves just one open spot on the club’s projected 15-man regular season roster.
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