Tag: John Wall

John Wall ‘likes’ article suggesting trade from Rockets to Clippers

As a veteran, the Clippers would seem to be a better fit for John Wall than the rebuilding Rockets. Finances, however, make it challenging.

In late May, Rockets guard John Wall watched a Clippers playoff game at Staples Center alongside the parents of Paul George. On Monday, he used his Twitter account to “like” a proposed trade sending him from Houston to Los Angeles. It’s not hard to connect the dots.

Soon to be 31 years old, the five-time All-Star makes more sense on paper with a near-term title contender like the Clippers than he does with the rebuilding Rockets. That could especially be the case if Houston selects Jalen Green or Jalen Suggs with the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, which could be paired with Kevin Porter Jr. in a backcourt of rising stars. Both from a timeline and roster perspective, Wall’s fit is unclear.

Yet, the challenge comes in the finances. Because the Clippers are above the league’s salary cap, they have to send out nearly as much money in trades as they take in. With Wall making well over $40 million annually, Los Angeles would have to send Houston something in that ballpark for a trade to work within the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

The proposal referenced in the article has Marcus Morris, Pat Beverley, Rajon Rondo, and Luke Kennard being traded for Wall and Milwaukee’s 2023 first-round pick, which is owned by Houston. But, as the article points out, that deal appears to be lopsided in Houston’s favor from a talent perspective. And if Morris is subtracted from the deal, which would make it more reasonable in terms of talent, the finances don’t work.

If Wall and the teams involved want to make a deal happen, the biggest variable to watch could be whether veteran big man Serge Ibaka picks up the player option on his contract at $9.7 million for the 2021-22 season. If he does — and it’s doubtful that he could get more money as a free agent, considering that he just had back surgery — a combination of Ibaka, Beverley ($14.3 million), and Kennard ($12.7 million) is enough for a deal to mathematically work for all sides.

Image via fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine

It’s still not a given, of course, that the Clippers would see Wall as an upgrade on Beverley and Kennard — who each had key moments during their team’s recent run to the Western Conference finals. But unlike the hypothetical with Morris and Rondo, it would at least appear to be close enough for an argument to be made. Draft considerations could also be added from one or both sides, as needed, to sweeten the pot.

A 6-foot-4 guard who is well regarded around the league for his leadership and passing abilities, Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 32.2 minutes per game with the Rockets last season.

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Bleacher Report proposes John Wall, Ben Simmons, Kristaps Porzingis trade

Houston would be receiving Kristaps Porzingis in the hypothetical three-team trade presented by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

In the aftermath of a disappointing playoff exit for Ben Simmons and the 76ers, Bleacher Report’s NBA capologist Eric Pincus is proposing a hypothetical three-team trade in which the former No. 1 overall pick heads to Dallas, Houston’s John Wall is dealt to Philadelphia, and Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis is traded to Houston.

It’s an interesting trade construction, because all three former All-Stars don’t seem to be in an ideal spot where they are. Having obtained the East’s No. 1 seed in the regular season, the Sixers are incentivized to explore major moves after falling well short of their expected playoff performance. Meanwhile, Porzingis has felt frustrated by his reduced usage next to Luka Doncic with the Mavs, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

As for Wall, the 30-year-old doesn’t seem to be an ideal fit with the timeline of Houston’s rebuilding plan, and he could provide Philadelphia with a different look of initiating their offense. On paper, the 25-year-old Porzingis would fit better with the Rockets from an age perspective, and he might get the larger role and usage that he desires.

Here’s how Pincus makes the case:

Would the Houston Rockets be interested in giving Porzingis a look next to Christian Wood? That’s a high-powered offensive big-man combo. John Wall would provide the 76ers with a more traditional scoring point guard, who resurged last season in Houston after a trade from the Washington Wizards.

Lots of ifs, buts and maybes, though it bears mentioning that Sixers executive Daryl Morey has a long relationship with Rockets general manager Rafael Stone. That could help make a potentially complex/crazy idea somewhat achievable.

In theory, the Rockets could also pursue a direct deal with Philadelphia involving just Wall and Simmons. However, Stone passed on the chance to acquire Simmons during the James Harden trade negotiations in January, so whether there is interest in that remains to be seen.

The three-team blockbuster is clearly a longshot, as with any hypothetical NBA trade this early in the offseason. But given the turbulence with Simmons and Porzingis, and the fact that all three salaries aren’t too far apart, it’s a storyline worth monitoring in the weeks ahead.

A 7-foot-3 center, Porzingis averaged 20.1 points (47.6% FG, 37.6% on 3-pointers), 8.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game last season. However, he missed 29 games due to various injuries.

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Five offseason prop bets involving current Houston Rockets players

Will the Rockets trade or buy out veteran point guard John Wall? Will Houston re-sign Kelly Olynyk? Those are among the leading prop bets.

At RocketsWire, we’ve spent much of the past two weeks breaking down every player on the 2020-21 Houston Rockets roster and the likelihood of each returning to the team in the 2021-22 season. To say the least, it should be a busy summer for general manager Rafael Stone.

For many hotly contested issues, such as a potential trade or contract buyout of five-time All-Star John Wall, there are already prop bets available to fans. Other popular points of debate include the futures of Christian Wood and Kelly Olynyk, with the latter set to enter free agency.

Another consideration is whether to trade veteran guard Eric Gordon, since he will turn 33 years old in December and might not be an ideal fit with the rebuilding timeline of the current Rockets.

After reading our breakdown of the current landscape, take a look at the leading prop bets and make a wager or two, if you like. Make your selections to reveal the results, and see if other fans agree with your pick!

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Report: Knicks could have interest in John Wall trade with Rockets

A new report suggests that John Wall could be a fallback plan this offseason for New York, should their initial pursuits not work out.

Evan Massey of the NBA Analysis Network cites a former NBA executive as saying the New York Knicks could have interest in trading for Houston Rockets star John Wall. A 6-foot-4 guard, Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.2 steals in 32.2 minutes per game this season.

Now 30 years old and previously a five-time All-Star, Wall clearly isn’t a long-term fit with the rebuilding Rockets. However, due to Wall’s contract — which pays him over $44 million in 2021-22 and has a player option of more than $47 million for the 2022-23 season — it’s unclear whether there would be any takers in 2021, since two full years could be left.

Here’s what Massey quotes a former NBA executive as saying, with indications a deal this offseason is possible:

The Knicks have some level of interest in John Wall. Houston would love to move him and get something of value for him. He isn’t a long-term fit for the Rockets, and if New York really wants him, they have the pieces to get a deal done. Wall isn’t their top priority this offseason, but he could be an excellent fallback option and the interest is there.

It’s worth noting the Knicks could have significant cap space this offseason, which might make them more viable as a Wall destination, relative to many other teams. Based on that cap space, New York wouldn’t necessarily have to send out as many salaries to Houston to make a trade work under the collective bargaining agreement. For most teams, finding approximately $40 million in tradable salary is challenging.

Even so, the Knicks would likely have higher priorities for that cap space (as Massey’s report indicates) than a 30-year-old who missed nearly half of the 2020-21 season due to various injuries. But if New York strikes out on those initial plans, it’s possible Wall could be viewed as a satisfactory Plan B. After all, while his contract is large in annual value, it’s not an especially long-term commitment. Moreover, after finally getting back to the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2021, the Knicks may prefer a veteran such as Wall who could help them remain competitive.

As for the report’s validity, it’s worth noting that just before the March 25 trade deadline, Massey reported the Rockets and Heat were discussing a Victor Oladipo trade. At the time, Oladipo rumors were few and far between. As it turned out, a Rockets-Heat deal for Oladipo materialized.

That doesn’t mean Massey’s report on Wall and the Knicks is necessarily accurate, but it does offer hope — since his connections have seemingly had credible information about the Rockets in the recent past.

As for the potential Wall proposal, Massey writes that New York “could offer a package built around Kevin Knox and a draft pick.” A 6-foot-7 forward, Knox was the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA’s 2018 draft, but he’s largely fallen out of favor with the Knicks and could potentially benefit from a change of scenery. From Houston’s perspective, the 21-year-old would effectively become a talented reclamation project.

As mentioned earlier, the Knicks could create enough salary cap room to where they would not have to send similar money to Houston in order to take Wall in. That might boost the odds of a deal getting done.

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Outlook: Offseason projections for 2020-21 Houston Rockets roster

With the 2020-21 regular season in the books, we look back at the performances of Houston’s roster and rank the likeliest to return.

For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Houston Rockets finished an NBA regular season with the league’s worst record in 2020-21. But that doesn’t mean the year was devoid of bright spots to build around.

Young center Christian Wood earned all-star consideration prior to a severe ankle sprain, and veteran point guard John Wall showed flashes of the form that made him a five-time All-Star earlier in his career. Prospects such as Jae’Sean Tate, Kevin Porter Jr. and KJ Martin burst onto the scene, punctuated by Porter’s historic game (50 points, 11 assists) in a feel-good victory over Milwaukee in late April. Porter, Tate, Martin and Wood were identified as the team’s “young core” to build around.

Veteran big man Kelly Olynyk also made quite an impression around Toyota Center by posting some of the best numbers of his career after his acquisition by Houston at the March 25 trade deadline.

Yet, the status of the franchise’s roster entering the 2021-22 season remains very much in flux. Given Houston’s newfound rebuilding state, general manager Rafael Stone is likely to leave no stone unturned (pardon the pun) in searching for free agency or trade upgrades and potential paths to acquiring another superstar talent — similar to what they had in James Harden, prior to Harden’s forced departure in January.

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There are also complicated decisions to be made involving free agents. For example, if Olynyk wants to stay, Houston has the financial means (Bird rights) to offer whatever it takes to get a deal done. But will he accept the type of proposal that could maintain financial flexibility for Stone to pursue better players in future offseasons? After all, while Olynyk was a good player with the Rockets, he’s certainly not a star.

With those types of considerations in mind, we’re ranking the team’s final 2020-21 roster by likelihood of returning — with categories of very likely, more likely than not, questionable and doubtful. Given Houston’s rebuilding state, it would be silly to call anything 100 percent or zero.

Keep in mind that there aren’t unlimited roster spots. For example, if Houston uses all three of its current 2021 first-round draft picks on players who are immediately available to play, that could require opening three roster spots by this fall. Similarly, any signing of an external free agent in August could take away a roster spot from a 2020-21 player.

Read on to see our tiers, with links to each individual player’s personal profiles and the factors likely to be considered.

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2020-21 Rockets roster review, offseason outlook: John Wall

While contract buyout talks involving Wall and the Rockets are possible at some point, the 2021 offseason appears to be too early.

(Editor’s note: We are reviewing all players from the Houston Rockets who finished the 2020-21 season on regular contracts, i.e. not hardship. To access other reviews in this ongoing series, click here.)

Rockets Player: John Wall, 6-foot-4 guard, 30 years old

2020-21 statistics in Houston: 20.6 points (40.4% FG, 31.7% on 3-pointers), 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds in 32.2 minutes per game

Professional Experience: 10 NBA seasons

Contract Status: Signed at $44.3 million for 2021-22 season, has a player option for $47.4 million in 2022-23

Houston acquired the No. 1 pick from the NBA’s 2010 draft in December as part of the trade that sent Russell Westbrook to Washington. With both veterans on similarly bloated contracts, the Rockets opted for Wall to start their rebuild, since his uncertain health status meant the Wizards needed to include a future first-round draft pick.

Even in rebuild, Rockets see roles for veterans John Wall, Eric Gordon

“You want people to build good habits,” said Houston general manager Rafael Stone. “You want people to learn from real pros.”

The Houston Rockets (17-55) are coming off a 2020-21 season in which they finished with the NBA’s worst record, and they’ve committed to building around a “young core” consisting of Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., Jae’Sean Tate, and KJ Martin moving forward. They also currently possess three first-round picks in the NBA’s 2021 draft.

But even if Houston isn’t competing for a title in 2021-22, they do still see a role for veterans like John Wall and Eric Gordon. Both guards are under contract for two more seasons, and general manager Rafael Stone indicated at Tuesday’s press conference that he’d like to keep them around as leaders and mentors to many of the younger players.

Regarding the importance of veterans in a rebuild, Stone said:

You want people to build good habits. You want people to learn from real pros. Eric Gordon is like a consummate professional basketball player. How can it not be helpful to practice alongside him every day? Go watch Eric shoot. That’s what shooting is supposed to look like.

I know some teams have done wholesale rebuilds where they just go extraordinarily young, but I think that’s largely built around the premise that they’re also trying to lose. I’ve said this before, I think one of the benefits of the various moves we made this year is that we do have a lot of future draft picks that are unprotected and aren’t just ours.

I think that gives us the luxury of trying to be competitive, and grow our young guys, and have 30-something guys. The fact that they might help us win a game or two extra, or five or six games extra, is not something we’re worried about. I think sometimes, when teams are rebuilding, they’re very strategically trying not to win. We’re trying to compete.

Regarding Wall specifically, Stone said:

John has been awesome. His IQ is through the roof, and he’s just a good dude. For this group, and for me, he’s been great. John is a really, really good guy. And he’s a hooper. He wants to play.

I do think, coming back from what he came back from (Achilles tear), he had a really successful season. I think he’s poised to be materially better next season. We met with him yesterday, and he’s fired up. He’s already plotting it out. His basketball IQ is just so high. It’s really fun, just hanging out and talking hoops with him.

Wall finished 2020-21 averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 32.2 minutes as the starter at point guard, while Gordon averaged 17.8 points and 2.6 assists in 29.2 minutes — primarily as a reserve. Both players had their years cut short due to hamstring and groin injuries, respectively.

Tuesday’s press conference from Toyota Center involving Stone and head coach Stephen Silas can be viewed below in its entirety.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MifHjLoES0

Report: John Wall contract buyout with Rockets is matter of when, not if

Wall is owed nearly $92 million over the next two seasons, and his fit with a rebuilding team in Houston doesn’t seem to be ideal.

It’s a matter of when, not if for John Wall and a contract buyout with the Houston Rockets, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. The 6-foot-4 guard is owed nearly $92 million over the next two seasons.

Wall, a five-time NBA All-Star, averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 32.2 minutes per game during his first season in Houston.

“I think we all understand that it’s a matter of when, not if, the buyout talks heat up again,” MacMahon said on the newly released “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective” podcast. “You can’t do it with $92 million left, but (maybe) when there’s $47 million left on his last year?”

Former NBA executive John Hollinger recently outlined a scenario in The Athletic where Wall could be bought out sooner:

Do we think John Wall could get two years, $20 million in free agency right now? If he’s the caliber of player who could still start for some teams, even with the health questions, that seems a fair price — maybe even on the low side. And if so, does it make more sense for Houston to accept that haircut in a buyout deal with Wall rather than keeping him around for another year of nightly drubbings?

Such an arrangement would be similar to Blake Griffin’s with Detroit, except Wall wouldn’t even have to leave any money on the table. Houston would lower its cap hit over the next two years from $92 million to (roughly) $72 million, and Tilman Fertitta would no doubt be elated that he could spread the payments over five seasons. (This is true even if the Rockets do not use the stretch provision on the cap hit.)

Wall turns 31 years old this offseason, and with an extensive career injury history, the team with the league’s worst record this season may not be the best fit for the dwindling years of his NBA prime.

Houston would undoubtedly love to trade Wall, rather than settle for a buyout. However, positive trade value isn’t likely to be there for a 31-year-old who is paid like one of the game’s top five players — but clearly isn’t of that stature. Assuming that’s the case, the rebuilding Rockets would likely prefer a buyout, relative to scenarios where they’d need to attach sweetener (i.e. future draft assets) to offload Wall’s contract.

But even in buyout scenarios, Houston isn’t likely to be interested in paying Wall significant money for years and years — along with having that figure attached to the team’s salary cap — to play for another team. General manager Rafael Stone would want the number to be reasonable.

Whether a buyout happens in 2021 or is tabled until at least a year from now, a lot of it will likely come down to how much money Wall is willing to give back in exchange for moving to a better team.

For example, if Wall pledged to turn down the player option on his contract for the 2022-23 season, he would effectively become an expiring contract for 2021-22 — which would make trade and/or buyout scenarios far more palatable to the team. However, as a free agent, he wouldn’t be likely to make anywhere near the $47.4 million figure that he’s currently owed for 2022-23. Is that something Wall is willing to do?

Only Wall can answer that question. But as Houston wraps up its 2020-21 season this weekend and begins shaping its roster for 2021-22, it’s a storyline worth monitoring in the coming weeks and months.

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John Wall to miss rest of season for Rockets with hamstring injury

The 2020-21 regular season ends on Friday, May 16, which is less than three weeks away. Thus, a return doesn’t appear realistic.

Veteran guard John Wall is expected to miss the remainder of the season for the Houston Rockets due to a hamstring strain suffered in recent days, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The 2020-21 regular season ends on Friday, May 16, which is under three weeks away. Thus, a return doesn’t seem to be realistic. In 40 games played, it appears Wall will finish his first season with the Rockets averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 32.2 minutes per game.

A five-time All-Star over his first nine NBA seasons, Wall said after his most recent outing (27 points, 13 assists versus the Clippers) that he believes that he’s still an All-Star caliber player, when healthy.

Unfortunately for the Rockets, the 30-year-old has still had a hard time staying on the court to consistently showcase that form. Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, Wall felt discomfort in the hamstring during Friday’s game, and the diagnosis is now a grade two strain.

After missing most of the previous two NBA seasons with various injuries, headlined by an Achilles tear, it appears that Wall will end up missing 32 of Houston’s 72 games this season due to either injuries or planned back-to-back maintenance (designed to prevent an injury).

With Wall sidelined, second-year guard Kevin Porter Jr. will take over the team’s primary ball-handling and playmaking duties.

Wall is under contract with the Rockets for at least one more season.

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John Wall believes he’s still an All-Star, ‘big-time player’ for Rockets

“I still think I’m an All-Star in this league,” Wall told reporters. “I still think I’m a big-time player in this league.”

For John Wall, the 2020-21 NBA season was primarily about proving his health. Having not played since December 2018 due to an assortment of serious leg injuries, including a torn Achilles, Wall first and foremost needed to show that he could play at the highest levels, again.

From that individual perspective, the 30-year-old has largely succeeded. In 40 games played, Wall is averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 32.2 minutes per game, and he’s the clear leader in Houston’s locker room.

Unfortunately, thanks largely to a barrage of injuries, that success hasn’t translated into many victories at the team level. Entering Tuesday, Wall’s Rockets (15-46) have the NBA’s worst record. Wall’s personal health has also played a prominent role in that, since he’s missed 21 games due to either injuries or planned maintenance on back-to-backs.

Nonetheless, Wall has seen enough that he’s optimistic about the 2021-22 season — and he believes he could get back to the form that made him a five-time All-Star earlier in his distinguished career.

In comments made after his strong showing (27 points, 13 assists) in last Friday’s extremely competitive loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, here’s what Wall said about his return season and his outlook for the future:

I read all the haters, the fans. They say I’m not nothing, or the team’s not nothing. We know this is not the way we wanted the season to go, but we dealt with a lot of injuries. We got a team we’re sort of rebuilding, trying to find the pieces to move forward with. But I have a lot of trust in it and know we’ll have a better year next year. …

I still think I’m an All-Star in this league. I still think I’m a big-time player in this league. In the last two years, there’s a lot of talent that came into this league, and there’s a lot of guys that are still in this league that were talented before I got injured. But I feel like when I’m healthy, I can go against the best of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tcfQX2w5Ww

Wall said his biggest priority for the upcoming offseason will be to make sure his body is physically ready for a normal NBA season, which is 82 games in length. “My job this season was to come back and show people that I still have a lot left in the tank. I think I’ve proven that,” Wall said. “The most important thing is for me to have a great summer by keeping my body healthy, preparing myself for an 82-game season.”

“It’s a little different,” he added. “I pushed myself more last summer working out and trying to play pickup to see where I got, because I didn’t have the opportunity to play for two years. I think I put people on notice that I still have a lot left. My job is to try to help this franchise win.”

Wall is unlikely to be a trade candidate this offseason, since he’s due to make $44.3 million in 2021-22 and has a player option for $47.4 million in 2022-23. Thus, the best-case scenario for both Wall and the Rockets is if he follows through on those lofty personal goals.

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