John Wall missed the entire 2021-22 season for the Houston Rockets due to his contract situation. However, he should return to the NBA hardwood in the fall.
Over the past few weeks, there have been plenty of rumors surrounding Wall’s future with the Rockets. Although the two sides didn’t agree to a buyout this season, they could revisit those discussions in the summer.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fisher, the Rockets could discuss a buyout with Wall if they can’t find a trade partner before June 23.
If the Rockets do reach a buyout for him, two teams are expected to pursue him. Those two teams are the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers.
“In that event, Wall would become an unrestricted free agent, and the Clippers, along with the Miami Heat, have been mentioned by league sources as strong potential landing spots for him,” Fisher wrote.
If the Rockets are unable to find a trade for John Wall before the June 23, all signs point to Houston and Wall revisiting buyout talks, per @JakeLFischer
“Clippers, along with the Miami Heat, have been mentioned by league sources as strong potential landing spots for him” pic.twitter.com/FWgEIzDDQn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 21, 2022
As of now, Wall has a $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season. The expectation is that he’ll pick up that option.
When healthy, Wall is still a capable playmaker. Last season, he averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game.
The reality is teams just don’t want to pay Wall over $40 million. For that reason alone, teams may decide to wait for the Rockets to reach a buyout.