John Wall’s campaign with the Los Angeles Clippers last season didn’t go as planned.
Nothing is more indicative of that than the fact that when Russell Westbrook arrived after the NBA Trade Deadline he was a huge roster upgrade over Wall.
That being said, it’s hard to know whether the issue in L.A. was Wall or the Clippers. The latter party was a mess for large swaths of the year, what with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George constantly being hurt.
Wall ultimately averaged 11.4 points per game in a little more than 22.2 minutes per outing.
So where does Wall go from here? Well, according to NBA insider Kelly Iko, there are currently two apparent frontrunners for his services.
“Veteran point guard John Wall held a private workout on Sunday with multiple teams — including the Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers — in attendance,” he wrote.
“The five-time All-Star is ramping up efforts in hopes of a return to the NBA.”
The Celtics did just blindside Marcus Smart by dealing him to the Memphis Grizzlies, a move he still isn’t all too happy about. So obviously a hole at the point guard position does remain on the roster.
Whether Wall is the right person to fill that hole remains to be seen.
The Blazers are intriguing, too. They are obviously on the verge of trading Damian Lillard either to the Miami Heat or one of the dark horse suitors that has emerged in recent days, so there will be a gap in the backcourt that Wall could theoretically slide into.
The Orlando Magic have more game off the court than on it these days. https://t.co/0lvnmfvOMv
— Game 7 (@game7__) July 10, 2023
Plus, Portland successfully rehabilitated Carmelo Anthony’s image after he was seemingly briefly blacklisted around the league. It wouldn’t be all that shocking to see them do something similar for Wall.
Wall’s big issue in recent years has been staying healthy. He lost a good chunk of his prime to various injuries, and he quite clearly isn’t the player he once was at the peak of his career.
That being said, in the right situation, Wall could definitely thrive off the bench. Will he find that perfect landing spot this summer? Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
