With veteran guard John Wall sitting out games as part of Houston’s rebuilding movement, the Rockets are open-minded to sending him to another NBA destination where he could play. But understandably, it needs to make sense to the team, in terms of both finances and assets.
As the Feb. 10 trade deadline nears, the most plausible move from the perspective of financial logistics is trading Wall to the Los Angeles Lakers for Russell Westbrook. Indeed, the Rockets are reportedly open to doing that, should the Lakers sufficiently compensate them with a future first-round draft asset. (Without that, the Rockets would likely stick with the status quo, since Westbrook has given no indications that he would accept the type of non-playing role that Wall has with Houston.)
In addition to the Rockets being open-minded to that outcome, it seems that Wall himself is, too. Just check out his Twitter likes, where the five-time All-Star liked a recent comment suggesting that Wall for Westbrook would be a worthwhile move for the Lakers. It should also be noted that Wall is a client of Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, which represents Los Angeles superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, as well.
With James having recently turned 37 years old, there’s a clear incentive for the Lakers to maximize whatever prime years he has left.
FWIW: John Wall liked this on Twitter. pic.twitter.com/9iK2LAbKID
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) January 27, 2022
Of course, even if the Rockets and Wall want that trade to materialize, none of it matters unless the Lakers also want it. But with Los Angeles alternating wins and losses over the past two weeks and hovering at or below .500, it shouldn’t come as a shock if they become a bit more desperate when the calendar turns to February and the deadline nears.
The ball is in the Lakers’ court, but if they decide they want it to happen, it sounds as if a deal could come together relatively quickly.
