Weeks after the Rockets announced that John Wall would miss the remainder of the season with a right hamstring strain, it appears he is done with the franchise after just one season.
The 30-year-old point guard recently voted in an Instagram poll in which a user asked others if he will stay with the Rockets or leave the team by way of a contract buyout.
The five-time All-Star voted that he’d be leaving.
The Rockets owe him nearly $92 million over the next two seasons, so a contract buyout doesn’t appear like an option..or so we thought.
In a conversation with The Athletic, former NBA executive John Hollinger suggested a scenario where Wall could be bought out even sooner than expected.
“Do we think John Wall could get two years, $20 million in free agency right now?” Hollinger asked. “If he’s the caliber of player who could still start for some teams, even with the health questions, that seems a fair price — maybe even on the low side. And if so, does it make more sense for Houston to accept that haircut in a buyout deal with Wall rather than keeping him around for another year of nightly drubbings?”
“Such an arrangement would be similar to Blake Griffin’s with Detroit, except that Wall wouldn’t even have to leave any money on the table,” Hollinger added. “Houston would lower its cap hit over the next two years from $92 million to (roughly) $72 million, and Tilman Fertitta would no doubt be elated that he could spread the payments over five seasons.”
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Wall, a five-time NBA All-Star, averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 32.2 minutes per game during his first season in Houston.
