We‘d need his brain to get in touch with Chris Paul‘s brain. That’s the biggest difference between those two.
He'd be a damn good player on LAC or Miami, but that contract is going to be near impossible to move.
He's already made a lot of money in his career. I can see a scenario where he might decline the final year of his contract in order to play for a championship on a true contender. It could happen. Again, he's already made a ton of money.
Unless he plays like an All-Star next season in Houston, I doubt it. At the end of the day, $47 million is still $47 million as he's not going to see a one year payday like that ever again. Things will have to break really well for Wall in order for him to secure a long term (e.g. 3 years) deal next summer if he is going to decline that player option. I mean, it would be super helpful if he does play like an All-Star because Stone can then try to trade him during the deadline but I think Wall just plays out his contract due to that huge payday for the last year.
If that's true, there's no way we should even entertain drafting a guard at #2 because either they'll get no playing time, or there will be locker room problems....or both.
We have control of our pick for the next two years. Ideally, Wall will be the ideal tank commander again and get us another high pick. Hate to have losing seasons, but we need as young superstar potential as we can get. Maybe he'll play his way into being an attractive expiring contract, but teams nowadays seem too savvy to fall for that.
I agree that he will probably take that last year. But, after this next season he will have made over $230 million in the NBA. He may decide going for a ring will make him happier than adding to his already huge bank account. Sometimes players do give up cash in order to chase a ring. Having said that, he probably will take the money. It’s hard for me to wrap my head around someone making that much money playing basketball. And, that’s just his on court earnings. Honestly, it would be hard for me to even spend that much money in my lifetime.
He should, but I doubt he will. For all of his flaws he has the highest confidence in himself and has worked through multiple career ending type of injuries. It's what's best for the Rockets until he can get his trade value up though
A little dramatic considering the plan from here forward is to try and build a winning team, winning culture. Yes I understand it's perhaps in some ways preferable to try and tank again in 2022, but the odds of getting another top-3 pick are unlikely. Nevertheless, yes there can be positive contributions from an otherwise top-10 pick. Still the Rockets have sort of jump-started the rebuild with creative acquisitions of guys like Tate and Porter to go along with this year's draft pick and whatever develops from the rest of the young guys in Martin, Thomas, etc. Will the Rockets contend for a title in 2022? No, but I think Stone, Silas and co will have to determine what's the best way forward with the relative age imbalance to the current roster. I don't think tanking should be the presumed strategy. I sort of anticipate a draft night trade that could involve anyone from Gordon to Tate to Wood, but either way Wall is someone that can build up his trade value throughout the early part of the season. I think the offense will look pretty decent as-is. Defense...not so much.
Shoot I 1000% hope you're right because the alternative, most likely, is seeing Wall play out his contract in a Rockets uniform. I've just conditioned myself to believe Wall won't decline his player option (or even entertain getting bought out at a significantly reduced price for that matter) because his next contract will not get him anything close to $47 million in total earnings unless he balls out next season.
I don't think Stone is going to let any Wall antic sway his decision on who he'll draft. There's a mutual benefit that Wall comes back healthy next season and plays the role of good teammate, even if we draft Cade, Green, or any other guard. If he comes back healthy and starts at the PG position and puts up sexy stat lines then it makes it easier for both parties to move on via a trade at the deadline. If he comes back healthy, accepts a 6th man role, and doesn't let his efficiency numbers decline because he's not starting it would also make it easier for both parties to move on via a trade at the deadline. Of course John Wall could take a page out of the James Harden Book of Self Sabotage and be problematic like you mentioned, thereby forcing Stone/Fertitta into a buy out discussion but I think that's a battle Wall won't win, for the sole reason that Fertitta doesn't seem like a guy that's willing to pay someone handsomely to go away and not get anything in return.
Well Cade would have the size to technically play SF, so that wouldn't be a problem. Wall could start at the PG spot and just share ball handling responsibilities with Cade and KPJ. The reason it's a problem for Green is because he's not as good as KPJ and you aren't slotting either of them in at SF so that puts Green coming off the bench. I don't think there's any chance at all Wall would take a 6th man role and I don't think a buyout is a possibility for at least a year or so. Basically if you can't trade Wall, Green won't get that much playing time. Now maybe, you give Green another year in the G league to improve while you are stuck with Wall, but basically I think if you do that, you piss Green off. I don't see a solution that won't end with a toxic locker room other than finding a way to miraculously dump about 3 guards if you draft Green.
Maybe I'm in the minority but if it's Green who gets drafted I don't have an issue having him come off the bench as a rookie. Sure we all want him to be the next savior for this franchise but starting him out slow and from the bench is the prudent thing to do, especially if Stone is going to try and move Wall by the trade deadline next season. It's improbable given how large that contract is but there's going to be a time where the player you draft (Cade, Jalen, or Jalen) will shine and perform well enough to warrant that starting spot and you gotta start thinking about moving Wall. Who knows...maybe Wall can't come back healthy in time to start the season and has to sit and watchGreen/Cunningham/Suggs excel to the point where he goes to Stone demand a trade and we end up with the expiring contracts of Goran Dragic ($19.4 million) and Iguodala ($15) in return.
Trade him to the LAC for the Kennard, Bev, and Ibaka package. Let Bev and Ibaka expire and trade Kennard for an expiring.
Again up to Silas. If Wall causes locker room problems he can sit at home. Wall is a cooperative 6th man or 12 man his choice. Don’t really care if he is happy.
I wouldn't be against it either, but I just get the feeling that Green would be against it. He's someone who sees himself as the best prospect in the draft, is he going to stay happy when all of the other top prospects are starting and putting up stats while he's stuck behind a fossil like Wall? I dunno. He's convinced that he's the next Kobe, he surely thinks he's better than having to accept a bench role. I just think the Rockets wouldn't draft him if they didn't already have a plan to dump Gordon and Wall.
Random thought I personally play the lottery (one ticket—> have to play to win and it’s a like a paying an idiot tax but an opportunity is an opportunity no matter how unlikely it is —> pay to dream) when it get over 30 million. Wall is like a multiple Texas lottery winner that is going to win big two more times. He lives in a different world than most. There is truly no way to truly understand his situation because it’s hard to completely comprehend his daily life. He has earned over a 1/4 of billion. That is crazy. Mr. Wall’et max respect to you
