Since arriving in Houston back in December of 2020, 5x All-Star John Wall has only played 40 games for the Rockets. In the aftermath of James Harden’s ugly and unfortunate exit, Wall lost his place in the rotation as the team shifted focus to building up and developing their young talent.
In the meantime, management has been hard at work trying to find a new home for the 31-year-old guard.
While not many takers have surfaced, there is at least one team that was giving him a serious look this season: the Los Angeles Clippers. In a report by Shams Charania, he provided the latest update on the John Wall sweepstakes.
(via Shams Charania of The Athletic)
“The reality is that with two seasons remaining on his contract (and 2022-23 being a player option for more than $47 million), the pickings are slim. Houston has recently received calls from a handful of teams about potentially acquiring Wall, sources tell The Athletic, but due to the aforementioned contract constraints, rival teams continue to simply monitor the situation. One such team that had expressed genuine interest earlier in the season was the LA Clippers, sources say, but there is some confusion from an outsider’s perspective on the Clippers’ objectives heading into the deadline.”
Thanks to injuries to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers have been an afterthought all-season song with a 23-25 record so far.
But rumors of Leonard’s potential return this year have given the Clips renewed hope of a playoff run. If the squad is able to stay in play-in range, they could be poised to make a few upsets come playoff time.
Trading for John Wall, who averaged 20.6 points per game last season, would give the team an additional boost if Leonard and PG do return.
Ultimately, it’s up to GM Michael Winger to make the call and he’s still got a few more weeks to decide.
