The Houston Rockets are no closer to trading veteran guard John Wall than they were two months ago when the two sides agreed to part ways. And according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, this might result in Wall sitting out the entire 2021-22 NBA season.
Wall and the Rockets made a mutual decision in September that he won’t play for the organization anymore. Houston is rebuilding and wants to develop their young stars, while the 31-year-old isn’t interested in playing for a rebuilding team. The front office started working the phones while Wall remained around the team, training and serving as a mentor to younger players.
Wojnarowski reports that trading talks Houston had with other teams led nowhere primarily because of Wall’s big contract. The five-time All-Star is owed $44 million this season and has a $47 million option for 2022-23 that he has every intention of picking up. His health also played a part, considering that Wall played only 40 games in the past three years.
There’s always an option for Wall and the Rockets to agree to a contract buyout, but that doesn’t seem to be on the table at the moment. Wall made it clear that he doesn’t intend to engage in any buyout talks at the moment, while Houston also doesn’t seem to be keen on doing that just yet.
John Wall joined the Rockets ahead of the 2020-21 NBA campaign in a trade that saw Russell Westbrook go to the Washington Wizards. Wall ended up playing 40 games last season, averaging 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game.
