Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Report: John Wall Plans to Sign Clippers Contract After Agreeing to Rockets Buyout

Erin Walsh

John Wall is planning on signing a contract with the Los Angeles Clippers once he becomes a free agent, though other teams are expected to pursue the veteran point guard, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports previously reported Wall and the Rockets had agreed to a buyout, with Wall agreeing to give back $7 million in salary. Wall’s agent Rich Paul will reportedly meet with Houston general manager Rafael Stone on Tuesday to complete the buyout.

The news comes after The Athletic's Shams Charania reported on June 21 that both parties were "expected to work through a resolution on Wall's tenure in the near future." That came after he opted-in to his $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season.

Wall joined the Rockets in a trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards ahead of the 2020-21 season. He missed the entire 2019-20 campaign with a torn Achilles and returned to the court in 2020-21.

The 31-year-old appeared in 40 games for Houston that season, averaging 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 40.4 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from deep.

Wall and the Rockets agreed to shut him down for the second half of the 2020-21 season to keep him healthy and protect his trade value. A deal never came to fruition, though, and he was essentially paid to just stay in shape in case he was traded.

With the Kentucky product out of the lineup for the 2021-22 season as well, Houston opted to focus on the development of some of its young players, including Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., in hopes of building a solid squad for the future.

Green, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, had an impressive rookie season, averaging 17.3 points per game, while Porter averaged 15.6 points per game in his third NBA season.

While Wall hasn't played close to a full season since 2016-17, he can still be an effective, serviceable player for the Clippers.

   

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)