Path for Rockets to buyout John Wall is materializing

The Rockets may soon have a route for buying out pricey veteran point guard John Wall, Marc Stein writes in his newest Substack report.

Stein notes that the 31-year-old Wall, a former five-time All-Star with the Wizards, has played in just 72 regular season contests since the 2017-18 NBA season.

The rebuilding Rockets opted to not play a nominally-healthy Wall as a back-up behind starters Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. for a single minute during the 2021-22 season.

Last week, Wall picked up his $47.4M player option for the 2022-23 season. Assuming that Houston cannot find a buyer for the final season of Wall’s lucrative maximum salary, Stein indicates that there are “serious murmurs” the team could begin discussing a buyout agreement with the 6-foot-3 guard. How much of his contract Wall is willing to give up in buyout talks could be a sticking point.

Stein reiterates that the Clippers and Heat remain interested in Wall’s services should he reach a buyout deal. Both teams have been floated as possible Wall destinations for a while. In a new wrinkle, Stein also reports that another star-studded club, the Lakers, could be considering adding Wall following a buyout.