Clippers Likely To Make Pitch For Rockets Buyout Candidate John Wall

The Clippers are among the teams that will have an interest in veteran point guard John Wall should he reach agreement on a buyout with the Rockets, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The presence of coach Tyronn Lue could prove to be beneficial as the Clippers would make a “strong pitch” for Wall, Stein added.

Of course, the Clippers aren’t the only team that would have a strong interest in Wall in the event of a Rockets buyout — which is starting to seem highly likely. The Lakers and Heat would also probably make a run at him, as we relayed here.

Wall actually had already been linked to the Lakers, via a potential Russell Westbrook trade. While the Lakers didn’t want to attach draft capital to a Westbrook-Wall swap, they “would consider Wall as a candidate for the roster if he is suddenly available via the buyout market,” Stein wrote.

Wall did not play last season as the Rockets sought a trade, and both sides are indeed expected to work on a resolution ahead of next season, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Wall, 31, appeared in 40 games in 2020-21, his first with the Rockets, averaging 20.6 points and 6.9 assists. Along the way, he proved to be a leader and a true professional in a losing situation.

He did not play the year before that after suffering a left heel/Achilles infection. In all, he has played just 72 games over the previous five seasons.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, Wall spent the first nine years of his career with the Wizards.

Hoops Wire will have more on what’s next for Wall, agent Rich Paul and the Rockets as the story develops. Until then, you can check out our Rockets page right here.