The Houston missiles will stick to John Wall and his $47 million contract in the first few weeks of July (at least) in the unlikely event that a transaction takes place requiring his huge paycheck (hello there Russell Westbrook†
However, after that, Wall and the Rockets are off to plan a buyout, something Marc Stein discussed in his latest substack newsletter (seriously, you need to subscribe to this, it’s been a year).
This week was the first time in some time that I heard serious rumors of Wall successfully negotiating a buyout with the Rockets after his season on the sidelines—provided Houston cannot find a trading partner for a Wall deal.
It’s still unclear, given Wall is deemed essentially unmarketable when he has to pay $47.4 million next season, how much of that salary he would have to hand in buyout talks to convince the Rockets to let him become a free agent. let be. However, the latest wall-related scuttle suggests a path is finally emerging for the sides to get there.
Interest in Wall from the Clippers and Heat, if he can finally make his way to the open market, has been mentioned for months. I have also been told that the Lakers — resistant if they continue to trade Russell Westbrook to Houston for Wall by attaching draft capital as a sweetener for the Rockets — would consider Wall a candidate for the roster if suddenly available through the buyout market.
Wall and the Rockets reaching a buyout only makes sense and was therefore expected this summer. How much money he would be willing to give up to get out of Houston and get back on the field is an interesting question. Still, any haircut he’s willing to take helps the bottom line — $5 million may not seem like much for a $47 million contract (or in today’s NBA market), but in the end it’s still a lot of money.
As for where Wall is going, it’s about fit and what he wants, not money – none of the teams mentioned can offer more than the bare minimum for veterans.
If Wall wants a part on a team that can compete for a ring, both the Clippers and the Heat make sense – and both need an experienced guard, someone who can take a general role on the floor (probably off the couch). The Lakers have LeBron James and Anthony Davisand while they may not be contenders if you’re reading this right now, let’s see how the Kyrie Irving drama takes place before we write them off. Plus, some guys like to play with LeBron.
Somehow look for Wall and the Rockets to come to an expensive but amicable divorce next month.
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John Wall buyout with Rockets is reportedly increasingly likely; Clippers, Heat, Lakers interested originally appeared on NBCSports.com