The NBA offseason certainly heated up Monday. First, it was the back-and-forth of the Kyrie Irving saga, and now, John Wall reportedly has a new team.
It looks as though Wall is heading west to join the Los Angeles Clippers after reaching a buyout agreement with his current team, the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. With Wall becoming a free agent, other teams are trying to pursue the point guard, per Wojnarowski, but Wall has his sights solely set on Los Angeles.
Wall originally opted-in to the final year of his contract with the Rockets, which was set to pay him $47.4 million. Wojnarowski reported that Wall took $6.5 million off that salary to complete the buyout.
The 31-year-old Wall sat out the entire 2021-22 season for the Rockets with the organization eyeing the future with a rebuild and focusing on the development of its younger players. Wojnarowksi said taking the year off from playing was a mutual decision between Wall and the Rockets.
Wall, who also missed the entire 2019-20 season due to heel surgery and a torn Achilles, only played in 40 games for the Rockets after he was traded in December of 2020 from the Washington Wizards.
Wall flashed enough in those appearances with the Rockets -- he tallied 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per game -- showing he could still be an asset to an NBA team.
The Clippers certainly hope Wall, a former No. 1 overall pick, is the missing piece they have been searching for, and can accentuate the strengths of Los Angeles stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
