John Wall’s time in Houston could be coming to an end. Last week, reports emerged that Wall and the Rockets had agreed to trade the former All-Star. Wall had a bounce-back season last year, after spending almost 2 seasons out with a major injury.
Wall is an NBA veteran, entering the league in 2010, and having earned multiple All-Star nominations. After spending most of his career in Washington, Wall was traded last season to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
Wall initially arrived with the thought that he and James Harden would form the Rockets’ new dynamic backcourt duo. But Harden eventually got his trade demand and moved to the Brooklyn Nets. That left Wall alone in Houston, where the team was one of the worst in the league last season.
But Kendrick Perkins believes that Wall can still be a contributor on a championship team. In a recent interview, ‘Big Perk’ spoke about Wall, and said that he has shown that he can still play at a high level.
He suggested that the Clippers and the 76ers should try to get Wall, with him saying that Wall would be a better fit with Joel Embiid rather than Ben Simmons.
Could John Wall be a good fit in Philadelphia?
@KendrickPerkins tells @hoopscritic and @SamMitchellNBA he’d fit right in with Joel Embiid #HereTheyCome pic.twitter.com/NPop1IhU1T
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 18, 2021
“Last year, we got to see glimpses of the old John Wall. He still averaged 20 and 7 last year. And I get it, he only shot 40%. But he really got a good rhythm because of the way Houston was load managing him. He’s still a problem, and I think in the right situation, under the right coach that’s going to put him in a position to be successful, and he gets the right pieces around him, I still think John Wall can help somebody. I could see John Wall going to the Clippers, or even maybe Philly. I don’t know what the Ben Simmons situation is, but I think John Wall in Philly with Joel Embiid is better than Ben Simmons in Philly with Joel Embiid. Because John Wall is going to actually take those shots and be aggressive. John Wall is not going to be afraid to go to the free-throw line. I know his contract, he’s due $100 million over the next few years, but I still think he has something to offer to a contender team.”
Despite the Rockets’ poor form, Wall did put up decent numbers, scoring 20 points per game on a mediocre Rockets team that couldn’t cope with Harden. And it is clear that Houston is in rebuild mode, building around new rookie Jalen Green, whom they drafted with the 2nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Wall’s future is far from clear despite a trade being on the cards. NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski broke down why trading Wall won’t be easy. His large contract is what stands in the way of the Rockets being able to broker a deal with any NBA franchise.
