November 28: Wall met with the Rockets on Sunday and informed the team he would like to be a starter again and have a chance to compete to keep a starting role, writes Shams Charania of The Athletic.
However, the Rockets disagreed, and want Wall to come off the bench in order to return to play. Wall will continue to sit out until the two sides find a resolution, per Charania.
After the news broke, Wall reportedly posted an Instagram video with the hashtag “#FreeMe”, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
November 27: Rockets guard John Wall has expressed a desire to return to the court and start playing again, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Wall and the franchise had mutually agreed that he would sit out until a trade was found back in September.
For a return to happen, Wall and Houston may need to compromise and solidify his role, Wojnarowski writes. At 31 years old and playing in a backcourt that consists of Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, Wall doesn’t exactly fit with Houston’s current direction.
His massive salary of $44.31MM this season and a $47.37MM player option next season also make it difficult to find a trade partner. A five-time All-Star, Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game with the Rockets last season, shooting 40% from the field.
Wall never asked to be traded this fall, but it became clear that he was no longer part of the team’s plans. He talked to general manager Rafael Stone on Friday and the two sides plan to speak again on Sunday to further discuss a potential return, according to Wojnarowski.
1. Can’t trade him without showing a partner that he can play.
2. Green and KPJ have picked up terrible habits with shot selection and they need him to teach them a few things.
Agree with both points. He should play, showcase himself, and then some team may bite. Otherwise who is gonna trade for a 45 Mill. guy without knowing at least his physical condition?
The Mets?
Chief is the winner
No ones going to trade for $45 million this year and next regardless. If Wall wants to be freed, he’s going to need to accept a buyout.
He’s seemed to be a positive influence on the bench when inactive for the young guys.
Wall’s never seemed to be a bad guy, and he’s continued to show that in his current situation. His contract is un-tradable, but let him help the young guys, play a little ball and see if they can’t agree to a buyout this offseason.
I don’t see him on any roster for at least the next yr 1/2. He’ll probably eventually get bought after the mid season trade next year or could be a big salary cap dump for a team. But his contract is wayyyyy to big.
If he can show signs of his old form that would lead to some form of opt out and longer term deal. But he’d have to show some serious signs of improvement. Otherwise why opt out at the end of the year.
No one is taking him unless the rockets attach picks.
Wall and a wood to Celtics ????
That’s only if he can still play.
He really should be playing and teaching. Only way he can show his value. Rockets are clueless.
Celtics really can’t match salaries at all.. though they should go after woods..
Once smart is eligible to be traded, horford and almost 12M in TPE should just about do it.
It’s already very difficult to match salaries in any trade involving Wall, adding another player like Wood with his $14M salary makes it virtually impossible.
Horford, Smart, HermanGomez thats49 mill. You can throw in Romeo or picks. Get around 55 mill. Celtics can do it if they want. #1 picks are as much as 7 mill. If Wall was playing and really showing. Celtics would be interested. Shoot Knicks would be interested lol
Than you’re stuck with his 49m player option next year. I’d rather have horford expiring contract than wall for 2 years..
Celtics have bigger issues than just adding wall.
See you only deal in the negative . I said if he was playing. That means at least 90% of what he was. That’s a PG who can lead league in ast. He can be like Chris n Suns. That’s a PG Celtics can pay for two yrs. Cause with that player and Wood. They can contend. That’s positive talk. But he doesn’t play so we really don’t know. Which was my point.
Just play him every other night and never vs sub 500 teams
Valid.
Yeah, the young guys should be able to learn something from playing with him and watching him play while still tanking. Just basically ignoring that he is on the roster come game time is flat-out stupid, but par for the course for that Rockets organization. On the bright side, we don’t have to see ridiculous posts from certain Rockets homers these days. One in particular, of course.
You don’t mean my ridiculous posts, right? Woe is me.
We waiting for him in Miami.
Why? He’s not getting traded, his contract is too big. He’s not getting bought out, his contract is too big. And he’s not declining the player option, that’s likely more money than he’ll earn during the rest of his career. What leverage is there for the tanking Rockets to let him back in? Would he accept garbage time minutes?
The guy needs to realise that the franchise is going all-out on this rebuild and that he’s not a part of their future. His playing style so far suggests he won’t teach much on the floor and as such, he’s more likely a better influence on the youngsters by effectively being a coach-pawn in practice rather than actually being out there on the floor.
Unless he’s ready to leave a ton of cash on the table or decline his player option… his hand in this situation is pretty weak. Especially when Houston actually keep paying him as opposed to the Philly-Simmons situation.
For one, even in his diminished state he’s significantly better than Kevin Porter Jr has been YTD.
Secondly, there has to be SOME limit to a team’s tanking ambitions. Wall is on the team, under contract and healthy—and he’s at the very least one of their better players.
Why not sit Gordon too? Hell, why not sit Wood, too?—he’s 8 years older than Green; he doesn’t fit the timeline much better than Wall.
The difference being, KPJ is in the team’s plans for the future at the moment. John Wall’s future with the Rockets is only until his last pay-check with them.
As for sitting out Gordon, I’d actually want to see him traded to a team where he’ll matter and instead free up some more minutes for guys like Josh Christopher or Armoni Brooks.
Wall is the only point guard they have
In terms of the organization’s future, the worst part of this whole undertaking is the FO’s notion that Wall getting minutes in lieu of their young G’s would be bad for the latter’s development. Fans confusing correlation and causation is amusing, when a FO does it, it’s sad.
I don’t think Wall has much left physically, and, even if he comes back, I doubt he can be traded without taking back virtually the same money for this year and next. But nothing bad can come of the team giving Wall (like every other player) a chance to earn minutes. He’ll either earn them or he won’t; either way, he’ll provide the young G’s with real competition for minutes (good) and, to the extent he earns them, a standard for them (even better).
Agreed on correlation/causation.
And considering Houston’s current starting PG (Porter Jr) is posting an 8.5 PER, -6.0(!) BPM, and a TS% of .465 I think it’s safe to say Wall (20PPG,7ASG last year) could at least earn some rotation minutes for this team and still allow them to effectively tank.
Getting a high draft pick is great, but not if you’re sabotaging the development of the young guys you already have in the process.
It’s not a good influence him on the bench earning money for nothing. Porter isn’t a point guard and perennial losing helps young players earn bad habits
I know there’s a lot of extenuating circumstances and everything, but in the long run, John Wall has been paid a LOT of money to not play basketball.
Wall should be focusing on a career change at this point. Maybe get a degree over the internet while collecting a huge amount of money from his NBA contract as he broadens his horizons in anticipation of pursuing a career in business or something. Right now, it just seems like his NBA talent and, therefore, career is uselessly rotting away. Maybe use this time to focus on an education in law and see if there are grounds to sue the Rockets for ruining his basketball career, you know, just out of spite. I know from my Seinfeld education that some places won’t low you to return a coat out of spite, but maybe, as a certified lawyer, Wall could make a valid case based on spite in this case. Always think tough and positive, (if not realistic)…”Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum!”
In addition, I hate my own typos.
It’s go time!
#FreeOptimusDime
Waiting for someone to say trade him for Westbrook
Lol was coming here to say exactly that
Washington gave up a first round pick to Houston when they traded Wall for Russ. To reverse the process now, whoever gets Westbrook would be the team receiving draft capital.
It’ll never happen but *if* it somehow did the Lakers would be better off. Granted Wall comes with his questions about his health, but he doesn’t need to take 45 shots to score 15 points at least.
Westbrook was said to have an untradeable contract yet he has been traded 3 times. The right combo of players + draft picks + FO stupidity/self delusion and anything can happen.
Wall to Clippers
If I knew and saw Wall was healthy. I definitely take him on Knicks. A healthy Wall is better than Kemba and Rose
Agreed, but what would the trade look like? Not possible without disemboweling the roster a la Carmelo.
Just a point about his game and health. Doubt we could pull it off money wise. You’re right.
Houston just won two in a row, maybe with Wall they can make it three straight.
You should be keeping an eye on the draft. Banchero will be better than Wood. And he’s a true big 4. The top 10 are all future starters. So you could get another star next yr. That’s what Rockets are about. Got nothing to do with winning.
Wrong Kevin Porter jr is linked
He has cool nicknames though.
How about just play him because he’s on the team, healthy, and a good enough player that you gave him franchise-player money to PLAY for your team?
Kinda old-fashioned thought, but…
Wizards gave him that contract. He’s on the team only because Houston wanted to get rid of Westbrook. “Lovely” work by Morey trying to appease the bearded diva by dealing away CP3 for Russ in the first place.
Rockets freely and willingly absorbed Wall’s contract into THEIR budget, so it doesn’t matter who originally gave it to him. They didn’t bring him to their franchise to just redshirt him. It makes more sense to play him than sit him at this point. The young guards aren’t gonna get exponentially better simply by Wall not playing.
Remember the good old days when Washington said they want Wall to be a Wizard forever? Sigh, the naivete.
Free John Wall. I know this man is itching to play this season, I hope he and the Rockets can come to an agreement on a buy out and somebody else gives John a longer term commitment to offset some of the money he would lose in a buy out situation.
“#freeme”. Sure thing John. For starters, decline your player option for next season and maybe the team would be willing to talk a buy-out. The guy really wants to have his cake and eat it too.
Huh? He is fulfilling the terms of his contract. Why should he sacrifice money because the team made a bad trade?
Because “#freeme”. In the current situation, there’s no incentive for Houston to buy out a supermax contract guy because he’s throwing a tantrum over a role he doesn’t like. I’m quite sure his contract doesn’t stipulate the role he should have on the team either and yet here we are.
And the team is also free to use him however they see fit. So yes, if he wants to be free to end up in a better situation ASAP, he should decline the option. Of course, no chance that happens did to the money involved.
It’s easy:
– nobody will take his contract
– Houston have no interest in play him…
Houston wants a buyout with wall’s BIG renunce… So take him out…
#freeme? It’s easy, you go to GM and Say ok, agree in not taking 50% of my contract.
And he Will be free… Still with a lot of money
Agreed.. Lakers were only stupid team to take a contract .. they took Westbrook and destroyed their teams flexibility and all their depth just to make 2 stars happy.. they destroyed any chance they had to win a championship.. what a travesty.. idiots if the leeague..Westbrook is careless as hell with the ball and selfish.. buyers remorse big time on that team.. Go Wizards..
This keeps getting worse. Who cares that Wall wants to start or not. That’s not his decision.
How about, since he’s on the 15 man roster either way: Let the HC decide (game to game) if he’s active and whether he’ll start? You know, like every other player. Is the HC not up to it? I know that Silas’ dad would have been up to it, and I’m fairly certain Wall and any other affected player (KPJ) would accepted his decision.
Houston has little or no direction on the court. No veteran leadership out there. Porter is no point guard. Wall can still play and he’s healthy. Averaged 20 and 7 last year. He’s no good mentor to the young players when they see a guy sitting down and earning all that money for doing nothing
I guess he could play in the G League to keep fit and keep his skills honed. That could be something that he could do to show he is ready and it might put pressure on HOU to play him with the Rockets.
Or he could just play on the Rockets.
What does the GLeague have to do with anything?
Obviously, he is good enough to make Houston’s roster.
No doubt he is an NBA player but staying in shape and keeping skills sharp are best maintained with game time. If this is a concern then that is a route to take. It could also add to the embarrassment (if possible) in HOU when they have probably the best player on the team playing in the G League.
I get what you’re saying but I am sure Wall doesn’t want to get injured playing against the Deleware Blue Coats.
He can’t just play in the G-league. He’s under contract with HOU. They can assign him to their G-league affiliate (with his consent since he’s a veteran), but why would HOU do that (even if he were willing to consent)-? Nothing he could do in the G-league is going to increase his value or pressure HOU to play him (by the time his feet get wet there, HOU will be competing – hard – for a top draft pick, nothing else).
All he has to do is give back half tyy he r money Rockets owe him and they will let him go quick as it’s signed but no.. he wants money he never lived up to yet be a free agent or refuse to be a back up while they pay him over 40 million a year.. I wouldn’t just cut him either and get stuck paying him all that money:. Put your big boy pants on and come off the bench.. if u want free agency then give some of that money back you aren’t earning
Yeah, all he wants is the money that the Rockets agreed to pay him.
And a starter role apparently. Houston is willing to play him but under their conditions, not his.