The Washington Wizards are sending John Wall and a first round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Russell Westbrook. Adrian Wojnarowski broke the story Wednesday night.
Washington and Houston explored scenarios centered around the two all-star guards at the beginning of free agency. Shortly after their conversations were leaked to the media, Wall approached management demanding a trade. Both sides were quiet for almost two weeks, before reengaging Tuesday afternoon. A deal quickly came to fruition.
Washington sends a 2023 first-round pick as part of the trade. The selection is lottery protected and its protections gradually decrease over the coming years. Wall and Westbrook are signed through the 2023 season, however both guards possess player options their final season.
Houston has agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to Washington for John Wall and a first-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 3, 2020
The Baggage of Westbrook
Westbrook, the 2017 MVP, is owed about $200 thousand more than Wall per season for the duration of his contract. It appears that Wizards General Manager Sheppard was not instructed to shed money while exploring the trade market for Wall. The front office also re-signed Davis Bertans to a five-year $80 million contract during free agency. This inches Washington to about a million dollars from the luxury tax. That’s a lot of money to spend on a team that missed the playoffs by more than seven games in 2020.
Westbrook, 32, is two years older with 10 thousand more minutes of mileage. And he showed signs of decline in the playoffs. In the conference semifinals against Los Angeles, he was blocked easily in transition on more than one occasion as he lacked his trademark explosiveness. The Lakers game plan allowed constant separation from Westbrook on the three point. He shot 24-percent from distance against a defense that all but asked him to shoot. Despite his struggles, Westbrook took more field goal attempts than anyone on his team for the series. This includes the NBA’s leading scorer in 2020, James Harden. The only thing he truly shot was his team in the foot.
The Inevitability of Trading Wall
Despite these negative trends, Sheppard was forced to attach a first round pick in the trade. Both players carry similar baggage, although Wall is the greater risk. The five-time all-star has not played in almost two calendar years, and didn’t exactly play to his elite standards prior to the injury. He routinely gambled for swipe steals on defense, and stood around when he didn’t have the ball on offense. Bradley Beal, 27, ascended while his backcourt mate was out due to injury. So when Sheppard made comments that his plans surrounded building a more competitive roster around Beal, his priorities were in order. The front office was committed to moving Wall at any price.
A Sad Day in the Nation’s Capital
Wall became a fan favorite in DC during his ten seasons with the franchise. He was generous with his time and money in giving back to the community. After leading the Wizards to the brink of the conference finals in 2017, his super-max extension was considered a no-brainer. The three years since the signing were disastrous for both parties. Now, Wall’s tenure ends with a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. What a shame.
Want to read about this trade from a Rockets point of view? Check out Parker’s article here.
Follow @KyleEdwords and @BellyUpSports for analysis, and the best sports satire on the internet.
