The off-season has started off at a frantic pace as teams all around the league are trying to pry in the best available free agents. While there was a real shortage of guards in the free agency pool this season, John Wall was among the few who stood out.
Coming straight out of a season where he did not play a single game of basketball, Wall and the Houston Rockets understandably came into a compromise as both the parties settled for a buyout. This made Wall a free agent, and the Clippers had their sight set on the veteran.
Signing the former Wizards superstar in a two-year deal worth $13.2 million, the Clippers have taken a small gamble on the guard and hope their trust pays off. While this will be the first time Wall will play for the Clippers, he is very well aware of some of the players who are with the franchise. One of the players that the 32-year-old knows pretty well is Paul Geroge.
PG, who started his NBA career in 2010, was in the same draft class as Wall, and ever since then, the duo have been great friends off the court. After a hard-fought matchup against a Wall-led Rockets back in the 2020-21 season, George was appreciative of his friend and lauded him for his great performance.
“He’s somebody I’m always going to root for… He’s a brother to me, and I couldn’t be happier to see him back on the floor and doing what he loves to do, and continuing to make those plays that everyone loves him for.”
Back in April 2021, George shared how his bond with the former Wizards guard has grown over the years.
“Me and John go way back to when we first started in the league… He’s a brother to me. We both had similar paths. Started off leading our organizations until big injuries and had setbacks…we just had a mutual respect and bond from the get-go.”
PG13 and Wall certainly have had quite the journey in their NBA careers. While both of them were superstars in their respective cities, a long-time injury made a massive dent in their respective journies. While there is no doubt that the two are great players, George and Wall will hope that they can truly show their class this season.
The Clippers bringing in a player like Wall is certainly somewhat of a risk given that the guard hasn’t played a game in the NBA for over a year. But the team has been looking for a point guard for quite some time now.
It was Kawhi Leonard and Paul George who had to fill in the point guard role at times when the team lacked a quality distributor. But with Wall at the helm, the Clippers’ superstars won’t have the pressure of distributing the ball and finding open looks for their teammates. Can the Clippers pose a real threat to the Warriors?
