Clippers had interest in John Wall

The reality is that with two seasons remaining on his contract (and 2022-23 being a player option for more than $47 million), the pickings are slim. Houston has recently received calls from a handful of teams about potentially acquiring Wall, sources tell The Athletic, but due to the aforementioned contract constraints, rival teams continue to simply monitor the situation. One such team that had expressed genuine interest earlier in the season was the LA Clippers, sources say, but there is some confusion from an outsider’s perspective on the Clippers’ objectives heading into the deadline.
Source: Kelly Iko @ The Athletic

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Kelly Iko @KellyIkoNBA
A handful of teams are monitoring the John Wall/Houston situation ahead of the Feb. 10 deadline, sources tell @TheAthletic.
That and more #Rockets intel in version 1.0 of our notebook.
theathletic.com/3087642/2022/0… – 9:56 AM

Brandon Rahbar @BrandonRahbar
Giving up assets to trade away Russell Westbrook for John Wall sounds as ridiculous as giving up assets to trade away Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Ben Simmons.
And yet somehow both those ideas have been floated today. – 6:39 PM

Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
My prediction is that the Lakers don’t trade Russell Westbrook for John Wall. I think they do everything possible to make it work this year, and if it doesn’t, they trade his expiring deal in the offseason for a few overpaid role players on long-term deals
I’m like 65-35 on this – 4:44 PM

Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
I have no idea if John Wall is still a good player, by the way. I thought there were semi-encouraging flashes in Houston but the numbers were mostly discouraging. I have no idea what this year off does to him. I have no idea how playing with LeBron affects him. He’s a mystery box – 4:17 PM

Emiliano Carchia @Sportando
Rockets open to trading John Wall to Lakers for Westbrook and draft compensation?
sportando.basketball/en/rockets-ope… – 3:59 PM

Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
I would give Houston multiple second-round picks in a Russell Westbrook for John Wall swap.
I would not give Houston a first-round pick. I would not give Houston Talen Horton-Tucker. – 3:55 PM

Alykhan Bijani @Rockets_Insider
#Rockets Injury/Status Report:
Usman Garuba (G League – Assignment)
Daishen Nix (G League – Two Way)
Trevelin Queen (G League -Two Way)
John Wall (Out) – 1:27 PM

David Hardisty @clutchfans
The Rockets really need to get a video crew out to Ramp Up Arena to film John Wall working out. Posting a mix tape of Wall highlights right now could get this man trending on trade machines. pic.twitter.com/z4A82r7159 – 12:47 PM

More on this storyline

Marc Stein of Substack reported Houston’s interest in an incentive-based deal that The Athletic can confirm, but there are caveats to this. For starters, this is not a situation where Houston is interested in Westbrook. Both parties have already been down that path and are at different places respectively. The Rockets are only interested in finding a solution for Wall’s situation. Westbrook would likely never suit up for Houston in that instance. For a deal to get done, Houston would have to be enticed by an aggressive Lakers approach — one involving either a third team or suitable additional assets — to make it work. Houston would require the Lakers’ 2027 first-rounder in such a deal, sources tell The Athletic, but it’s unclear how willing the Lakers are to put that on the table. -via The Athletic / January 24, 2022

I, like many around the league, was previously under the impression that the Rockets would have less than zero interest in a Westbrook reunion after Houston traded Westbrook to Washington for John Wall in December 2020 shortly before the start of last season. I’ve since learned that the Rockets — while indeed holding no interest in having Westbrook play for them again — actually would be amenable to another Westbrook-for-Wall swap if the Lakers incentivized the trade with sufficient draft compensation. -via marcstein.substack.com / January 21, 2022

To be clear: This is not a scenario likely to materialize between now and Feb. 10 or one I would advise the Lakers to pursue so soon even after all of my criticism of the Westbrook trade in the first place. Yet sources say that the Lakers could convince Houston to take Westbrook back for Wall if they attached their 2027 first-round draft pick to the deal. The Lakers could naturally try to offer multiple second-round picks instead, but L.A.’s 2027 first-rounder is the piece rival teams naturally covet. -via marcstein.substack.com / January 21, 2022