Source: Michael Reaves / Getty
John Wall may be on his way out of Houston, officially ushering in the team’s youth movement with Kevin Porter Jr. and No. 2 overall pick Jalen Green.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Rockets and Wall are working on a trade solution which benefits both the team and the five-time NBA All-Star.
Per Shams, “The plan is for Wall to remain present around the Rockets entering training camp, which begins late this month, and to not play in games for Houston this season, sources said.”
In 40 games with the Rockets last season, Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 32.2 minutes per game, returning to form after sitting out the past two seasons due to knee surgery and rupturing his Achilles. Wall’s initial introduction in Houston was supposed to team him with James Harden after the team dealt Russell Westbrook to the Wizards in exchange for Wall.
Instead, Harden was shipped out last December in an ugly divorce between him and the franchise he called home for eight seasons. The Rockets played decent without Harden in the lineup, but after center Christian Wood went out with injury, so did the Rockets’ chances of possibly scrapping to the play-in tournament. The team lost 20 games in a row, eventually finishing with the worst record in the NBA.
In turn, Rockets GM Rafael Stone acquired numerous assets in the Harden trade, eventually netting the team the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft in Green, plus flexibility for more roster moves in the future. The team is now leaning on Wood, Green, Porter Jr. and new acquisitions such as Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba, All-Rookie first team member Jaesean Tate, second-year forward Kenyon Martin Jr. and others to grow while the team rebuilds into becoming a championship contender once again.
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Rockets, John Wall Working On A TradeĀ was originally published on theboxhouston.com
