The Houston Rockets are in the midst of one of the worst seasons in NBA history. They are on their way to challenging the 2011-12 Charlotte Bobcats, who went 7-59, for the lowest win percentage in a single season at .106.
At 2-16, the Rockets’ win percentage is .111, so they are certainly within reach of the Bobcats’ mark with the pace that they are on. Houston needs to win at least nine games to avoid reaching that mark.
If they wanted to make sure they wouldn’t set the record for lowest winning percentage, they may consider playing John Wall. Wall has sat out every game this season as the organization looks to find a team to trade him to. The two sides agreed that he would sit out until a new team was found.
But, it doesn’t sound like that trade is going to happen any time soon. Despite being healthy, Wall has a huge contract that teams are not willing to trade for. There are teams interested in acquiring him, but according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, it comes with one condition; he declines his player option for the 2022-23 season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Rockets’ John Wall To Sit For Entire 2021-22 NBA Season?
Wall is owed $47 million on his player option for next season. If he is not willing to decline that as part of the trade, teams are not willing to acquire him. The buyout route is always another possibility, but there is no way Wall does that, as it would mean the player option disappears as well.
“But why would Wall want this? He has to know: A trade isn’t coming. Teams are interested in Wall but only if he declines his $47 million player option for next season (he won’t) or wriggles free via buyout in this one (he isn’t). Wall looked remarkably good in returning from a two-year layoff last season. His All-Star days are over, but there’s no reason why Wall, at 31, can’t regain a place among the upper half of NBA playmakers.”
After missing the entire 2019-20 season as he recovered from a left heel injury and subsequent torn Achilles, Wall played relatively well during the 2020-21 season. His shooting percentages weren’t great, but his raw stats were strong.
He averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.2 minutes per game. He did appear in only 40 games, starting each one, as the team rested him periodically and he was shut down the final 12 games of the season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Rockets’ John Wall To Sit For Entire 2021-22 NBA Season?
While Wall may never return to the All-Star level he was before the injuries, he would likely be playing at a higher level this season being another year removed from them. But, that is just not a risk that NBA teams are willing to take.
Given the money that he is owed, it is unlikely we see John Wall traded at any point this season. It is more likely that he returns to play for the Houston Rockets this season than it is for him to be wearing another team’s uniform before the NBA trade deadline.
