The situation of John Wall remains questionable as the Houston Rockets are trying to finalize a trade for him
Houston Rockets and John Wall have agreed on working together to find a new team for the five-time All-Star guard, sources have confirmed. The mutual agreement came to place after a long meeting with the Houston Rockets.
However, Wall will report to training camp in September and will readily mentor the younger players, but, he is expected to not play any games. It also appears that, if needed, the unique arrangement could last for the entire 2021-22 season.
Notably, Wall spent most of his career with the Washington Wizards and will be playing his second season with Houston.
In a meeting between Wall and the Rockets recently, Houston officials explained to Wall the prospectus of the franchise and that the team wants to protect Wall’s health. Both sides agreed on the same which won’t complicate Wall’s ability to continue playing at a high level.
Currently, the Rockets have their mind fixed on a trade, and there are no plans for a buyout in the progress.
The problem with an available trade exists because of Wall’s injury-prone history in recent years and due to his massive contract. According to the contract, Wall needs to be paid more than $91 million over the next two seasons.
With two full years left, NBA teams see Wall as a negative asset on his current contract.
Thus, a good option is to simply delay a trade until NBA teams view Wall’s value more favorably. That might happen as early as next February’s trade deadline, if other teams need to replace an injured player. Moreover, concerns over Wall’s contract could deflate since teams wouldn’t need to pay him for a full season.
The Rockets are currently under heavy re-building and if required, Houston is ready to pay 31-year-old Wall his full-season salary of nearly $45 million to not play the season.
Last season, in 40 games, Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 32.2 minutes per game.
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