Five-time All-Star guard John Wall and the Houston Rockets recently met and mutually agreed to work together on a trade, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Wall will report to training camp later this month. But, the plan is for him not to play for the Rockets this upcoming season.
Wall has two years and $91.7 million remaining on his current contract. That includes a $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season. However, there are no plans for a buyout.
The Rockets acquired John Wall along with a future protected first-round pick from the Washington Wizards in exchange for former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook. Westbrook has since been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers after just one season with the Wizards.
The idea at the time was to grant Westbrook his request to be traded, and pair Wall with disgruntled franchise cornerstone James Harden.
However, the addition of Wall wasn’t enough for Harden, who forced his way out in a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, Wall was pushed to the forefront of a rebuilding team while returning to action from a torn Achilles injury he suffered in January 2019.
He averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 games last season. The Rockets shut him down the final month of the season with a hamstring injury. In the process, Houston got a further look at young guard Kevin Porter Jr. Then, this summer they drafted Jalen Green second overall in the NBA Draft.
The Rockets are set to turn over the keys of the franchise to Green with Porter and Christian Wood alongside him. Meanwhile, the 31-year old Wall will look to comb the market for a contender or better fit in need of a point guard with $44.3 million worth of tradable assets.
