When the Rockets and John Wall agreed prior to the 2021/22 season that the point guard would sit out while the team worked to find a new home, both sides likely hoped the situation would be resolved by this point.
However, the February 10 trade deadline came and went without the Rockets finding a deal they liked. And now that March 1 (the deadline for a player to be waived while maintaining his playoff eligibility) has passed, it appears virtually certain that Wall will remain on Houston’s inactive list for the remainder of this season.
While that outcome may not be what the Rockets or Wall wanted, it doesn’t come as a major surprise. The point guard’s $44.3MM cap hit this season and $47.3MM player option for next season made it virtually impossible to move him for anything of value. There were rumors that Houston would’ve taken on Russell Westbrook‘s nearly identical contract in exchange for Wall if the Lakers were willing to throw in a future first-round pick or a swap, but L.A. had little interest in that trade structure.
This winter was also probably still too early for the Rockets and Wall to seriously explore a buyout. In recent years, we’ve seen Kemba Walker and Blake Griffin reach buyout agreements with two years left on their respective contracts, but they gave up significant chunks of money in those deals ($20MM for Walker and $13MM+ for Griffin). Wall likely isn’t eager to surrender that much of his remaining salary, and the Rockets may continue to hold out hope they can find a suitable trade partner.
It seems safe to assume this situation won’t be resolved before this season ends, but the Rockets and Wall will probably do all they can to avoid extending the standoff into the 2022/23 regular season. That means this offseason will be crucial.
In theory, once Wall’s contract is an expiring deal, it’ll be a little easier to move. But there still won’t be many teams willing to take on $47MM in salary for a 32-year-old guard who seemed to have lost a step due to injuries even before he sat out for an entire season.
The Rockets’ best hope is that the Lakers become more open to the idea of a Westbrook/Wall swap, but if that doesn’t happen, it’s hard to find a good trade fit. A package made up of Evan Fournier, Nerlens Noel, Walker, and Taj Gibson would work financially, but even if the Knicks are motivated to get off a couple of those contracts, I’m unconvinced they’d be satisfied with a return consisting only of Wall. Frankly, that sort of package might make more sense for Westbrook.
Pairing Wall with a more desirable trade candidates such as Christian Wood or Eric Gordon could be an option the Rockets explore, but the more salary they add to Wall’s $47MM+ cap hit, the trickier it’ll be to find a match — it’s not easy for most teams to package $50MM+ in player salaries for matching purposes.
If Houston is unable to make a trade, the two sides could get more serious about buyout discussions. A handful of teams would reportedly be interested in Wall if he were to become a free agent, so the Rockets could allow his agent to talk to those clubs to get a sense of how much they’d be willing to offer him — Walker and the Thunder took this route last year, so Kemba knew he’d have an $18MM deal on the table from the Knicks after giving back $20MM to Oklahoma City.
The Heat and Clippers are among the clubs that have been identified in recent months as possible suitors for Wall if he reaches free agency. David Aldridge of The Athletic added another intriguing team to that list today, reporting that Wall would be open to the idea of returning to the Wizards and has recently discussed that possibility with people close to him.
As Aldridge acknowledges, Wizards owner Ted Leonsis and star guard Bradley Beal would both have to sign off on a Wall reunion. Leonsis was “legit angry” in 2020 after a video surfaced of Wall flashing gang signs at his birthday party and was “ready for a divorce,” according to Aldridge. Additionally, there was a sense in D.C. that the Wall/Beal partnership had run its course by the time Wall was traded to Houston.
Still, while Beal isn’t necessarily advocating for the Wizards to reacquire Wall, he wouldn’t dismiss the idea out of hand, Aldridge says. Washington will be in the market for a point guard this summer, and the possibility of bringing back Wall for part of the mid-level exception would presumably be far more appealing than having him on a maximum-salary contract.
We want to know what you think. What does Wall’s future hold? Will the Rockets be able to make a trade this offseason? If so, which trade partner steps up to acquire the five-time All-Star? If not, how much should he be willing to give up in a buyout, and where would he sign as a free agent? Do you expect resolution this summer, or will Wall still be on Houston’s roster in the fall?
Head to the comment section below to share your thoughts!