Not Long After Going On A Podcast And Trashing All His Former Rockets Teammates, John Wall Has Been Traded Back To The Houston Rockets
Jesse D. Garrabrant. Getty Images.
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What is going on today with this deadline? It's basically a reunion day for teams all across the league. For those not keeping track at home we have Eric Gordon going back to the Clippers, Jakob Poeltl going back to the Raptors, DLo going back to the Lakers, Dewayne Dedmon back to the Spurs, Bruno Fernando back to the Hawks, Gary Payton II is heading back to the Warriors, the list goes on and on.
And while some of those will have more impact than others, none of these reunions come close to being as funny and awkward as what is currently going down in Houston after they've pulled a trigger on a deal to bring John Wall back to town.
If you remember, the John Wall Rockets Experience wasn't all that great. They're a young rebuilding team and basically told Wall that even though he was playing at an acceptable level while he was there, they wanted nothing to do with him. They flat out paid him to stay home which isn't a bad gig if you can get it, but probably not what someone like John Wall was looking for as he was finally healthy enough to play. Once he was bought out and joined the Clippers, he did what most NBA players do in his situation.
He went on a podcast and trashed the Rockets and all his former teammates
Whoops! Imagine how awkard that locker room is going to be now? That's why I still think there's more to come here. It's not like Wall is on some massive contract, since he took MLE money this summer Wall is only making $6.4M this season. Nothing has changed on the Rockets front, they're still a young rebuilding team, so it wouldn't shock me in the slightest if Wall somehow secures a second buyout with the same team. The Rockets are currently in the process of trading their vets
So I cannot imagine there is suddenly a need or want for John Wall. If he's not going to play what's the value of even having him on the team? What's crazy is John Wall wasn't even "wrong" in what he said about the Rockets young players, their own coach basically said the same stuff the other night
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Don't ask me to explain the logic behind this move from Houston. Especially if they're just going to buy Wall out. This feels like bringing in some uneccesary drama to a locker room that could use anything but MORE drama. That's why I think this has buyout written all over it. While I prefer the drama, I just can't see a world where the Rockets keep John Wall.
Looking ahead, maybe the Nuggets or Heat might be interested? Wall will be able to choose wherever he goes, so whichever team promises him some actual floor time probably wins that race. Would you rather have Wall or Westbrook in the buyout market? I think the easy answer there is Wall, even if he isn't Prime John Wall anymore.