John Wall to continue sitting out due to disagreement with Rockets on potential role, per report

Former All-Star point guard John Wall has told the Houston Rockets that he wishes to start playing for the team again soon, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Wall has not played this season while the team tries to facilitate a trade to a more competitive situation. However, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Wall will continue to sit out due to a disagreement on his role. Wall reportedly wants to start games and compete to hold on to that role while the Rockets would prefer it if he came off the bench. 

Thus far, however, given Wall’s massive contract and extensive injury history, there have been no takers on the trade market. While teams would certainly be interested in Wall if the two sides agreed to a buyout and he became a free agent, no contending team is going to give up what’s necessary to acquire him in terms of assets and salary. 

That’s left Wall languishing on the bench all season. And while the initial agreement made sense in the short term, it’s one thing to sit out for a month; it’s another to do so all season. 

Wall is clearly the team’s best player, but the Rockets are in the early stages of a rebuild and have two promising young guards in Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick, and Kevin Porter Jr. The team’s main priority is playing and developing that duo, and Wall would have to accept taking a back seat. Thus far, it appears he is unwilling to do so.

Without Wall on the court this season, the Rockets have been a disaster. They recently ended a 15-game losing streak, and currently have the worst record in the league at 3-16. As a result, head coach Stephen Silas is reportedly on the hot seat, though he is projecting confidence about the situation. 

Getting Wall back in the mix, even in just a complementary role off the bench, would surely help stabilize things a bit in Houston. He isn’t going to singlehandedly get them back in the playoff mix at this stage of his career — the Rockets don’t even want that to happen, to be honest — but his skill and veteran presence will solve some of their biggest issues like turnovers and inefficient offense.