John Wall and the Houston Rockets have mutually agreed to go their separate ways. Although no clear trade is in the works yet, both sides appear dead set on making something happen.
Wall is owed $44.3 million next two season and has a player option worth $47 million for 2022-23. Given that he is a 31-year-old who has been limited to 113 games over the past four years due to a series of very serious injuries, trading him is easier said than done.
That said – some potential suitors are out there. Three, to be exact.
As noted by James Foglio of Basketball Insiders, three teams currently appear to be extremely viable potential suitors for Wall’s services.
“According to sources, the Los Angeles Clippers have negotiated a trade with the Houston Rockets for five-time All-Star John Wall,” he wrote. “However, they aren’t the only competitors pursuing the North Carolina native. The Detroit Pistons and Miami Heat are also expressing interest in trading for the 10-year veteran.”
On Wednesday, the real reason for Houston’s sudden decision to shop Wall leaked out. It wasn’t surprise per se, but it did lend a bit of context to this entire situation.
Now the question becomes: who will really be willing to take Wall off the Rockets’ hands? This is a guy set to be the third highest-paid player in the NBA next year. Everyone else in the top 10 of that list is a foundational piece of a championship team. Can Wall be that for a contender? It doesn’t feel like it, but maybe he’ll surprise folks.
More must-reads: