Wednesday, the Washington Wizards traded John Wall and a protected first round draft pick to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook. The details on the protected draft pick were revealed shortly after the deal was announced.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Washington is sending a 2023 lottery-protected first round pick. The draft pick then becomes top-12 protected in 2024; top-10 in 2025 and top-8 in 2026. If the pick isn’t cashed in by the Rockets after that, it becomes two second-round picks.
The Rockets and Wizards discussed the blockbuster trade prior to last month’s NBA Draft. However, talks broke off as Houston was seeking additional assists. That ultimately turned into the protected first-rounder.
Both Wall and Westbrook have three years remaining on their current super-max contracts with player options for the 2022-23 season. Thus both current deals would be off the books at the earliest Houston could use the draft pick.
Wall is owed $132.9 million over the next three years. Westbrook $132.6 million in the same span. Yet, both players are at different points in their careers.
Westbrook, 32, made the All-NBA team last season. The ball-dominant guard is looking for an increased usage after playing off the ball more than he would like last season alongside the ball-controlling James Harden. Meanwhile, Wall, 30, is coming off surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles. The speedy Wall hasn’t played in an NBA game since December 2018 and may have to adjust his game following the injury.
