While there was never any real doubt, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that Rockets guard John Wall is going to exercise his player option for the 2022/23 season. That option is worth approximately $47.4MM, which is far more than Wall could realistically expect to earn next season if he were to opt out of his deal to become a free agent.
The Rockets were unable to work out a trade involving Wall last offseason or during the 2021/22 season, but will try again this summer, according to Scotto, who says Wall’s reps at Klutch Sports would likely engage in buyout talks with Houston if the club still can’t find a viable trade. Wall’s preference would be to have a role on a winning team, Scotto adds.
Here’s more on the Rockets:
- Appearing on the HoopsHype podcast with Scotto, Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire said he gets the sense from conversations with people around the league that there are still some off-court concerns with Christian Wood. The big man might be a better fit in a contender’s locker room with a clear veteran star and leader in place, per DuBose.
- Also on the HoopsHype podcast, Scotto noted that the Rockets are prioritizing cap room for 2023, which means that they may prefer to wait to lock up players like Jae’Sean Tate and Kevin Porter, who will be extension-eligible this offseason and could be long-term pieces.
- Jalen Green got off to a slow start this season, but his strong second-half play – including an ongoing streak of five straight games with 30+ points – bodes well for the Rockets’ rebuild, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, who says there should be “no denying his status or stature” going forward.
- In an Insider-only article for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks previewed the Rockets’ offseason, touching on Porter’s case for an extension, Wall’s status, and what the team will do with Wood and Eric Gordon, among other topics.
- Within his own look ahead to the Rockets’ offseason at The Athletic, Iko says he’d be surprised if Wood is still with the team after next season’s trade deadline and suggests a team-friendly extension for Porter could be in the range of $10-14MM per year.
- In case you missed it, Rockets two-way player Trevelin Queen was named the G League MVP for 2021/22.
Three team trade idea: Knicks, Lakers, Rockets
Knicks get Wall
Rockets get Westbrook and Walker
Lakers get Rose, Gordon, Fournier, Noel
Add draft picks somewhere in there.
Lakers have no decent draft picks and this trade they’ll definitely need it if Gordon is coming to them.
If lakers can find a way to package Horton and Westbrook they’d be smart to do so given their collective value is terrible due to them costing about $60MM for a season.
Makes no sense for The Rockets
Always thought Wood to the Rockets was a weird fit given the off the court concerns. Don’t see him as being a good fit for a rebuild. Of course, at that contract value it’s less of an issue.
Going to be interesting to see how he does on a contender. Does he man up and accept his role or does he let his attitude get in the way? Will also be interesting to see what teams pursue him. The offense is tantilizing, but the defense remains subpar so whenever he ends up he’ll have to be paired with a strong frontcourt defender.
Ideally, he ends up under a good head coach who can help to get his head on straight as well as maximize his potential. In the right situation, I think he can be an extremely useful addition that could help push some teams over the top. In the wrong situation, I think he ends up being exploited in playoff matchups and potentially not worth the headache involved.
Well, he did sign when they still had James Harden. Him and Harden would’ve been a great pairing. But we see how that turned out.
Don’t forget westbrick. He was signed with the interest of being a solid 3rd on a contender. Which he would be very good at. He might be a good option for GS or Brooklyn but it all depends what they get in return.
Good point. The Rockets roster has changed so much since then I almost forgot that!
Sad times, arguably 1st/2nd in west to worst in the league in the space of 4 months. That’s why I love and hate the game.
At least you have a lot of interesting young pieces. Might be good again before too long.
#FreeOptimusDime