Back in September the Houston Rockets and John Wall came to an agreement that he wouldn’t be playing in regular-season games with the team. The franchise would work with him to find him a new team to continue his NBA career with.
It was a nice gesture from the rebuilding Rockets, who are trying to do good by their veteran players. While not playing in games, Wall has remained part of the team. He has worked with the younger players on the team almost as a coach, as he is healthy enough to play.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like he will be playing anytime soon in an NBA game. The market for him is very cold as no team seems willing to take on his contract.
Despite that, the plan he made with the Rockets remains unchanged, as Wall will sit out the entire season if it comes to that.
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Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN shared the update during an appearance on NBA Countdown. Sam Doric of Bleacher Report shared the quote.
“There are no plans for John Wall to play for the Rockets, and it’s becoming increasingly likely that John Wall may not play anywhere in the NBA this season because the cost of his contract right now is just too prohibitive,” Wojnarowski said.
Wall is owed just about $97.1 million in the next two seasons. He has a player option worth $47,366760 for the 2022-23 season which seems to be the sticking point in any negotiations that the Rockets have had.
“Any team that would potentially trade for him would want him to decline that option,” Woj said. “Well, he’s not doing that, he’s not giving that money back.”
That puts the Rockets between a rock and a hard place when it comes to making a deal. They remain steadfast in not wanting to attach draft compensation to move Wall, which makes completing a deal that much more difficult.
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Teams need some incentive to take on a contract of that size and if the Houston Rockets aren’t willing to do so, they will likely retain John Wall for the duration of the season. When he is on an expiring deal in the offseason after picking up his option, a trade may be easier to consummate.
