Washington Wizards: 5 trade destinations for John Wall

John Wall has indicated he wants to be traded from the Washington Wizards. Here are five landing spots for the former All-NBA player.

Rumors surfaced that John Wall had requested a trade from the Washington Wizards. The organization pushed back on those reports as inaccurate and that they have no intentions of trading him. However, where there is smoke, there is usually fire, so it’s safe to assume that the relationship between the organization and Wall is frayed.

The former All-NBA selection has three years and $132 million remaining on his contract. Wall has played sparingly the past three seasons so it can be hard to remember just how good he has been throughout his career.

The number one recruit out of high school, Wall’s high school highlight mixtape still remains a thing of legend. He had his pick of every major program and decided to take his talents to the University of Kentucky. In his lone collegiate season, he led the Wildcats to 35 wins and the elite eight before being voted a consensus All-American.

Wall had been the undisputed best player and de facto leader throughout his amateur career. That didn’t change when he was selected number one overall by the Wizards in the 2010 draft. At 19-years-old Wall was handed the keys to the franchise as its savior from decades of dysfunction.

Wall made good on the Wizards’ investment and was the primary reason the franchise became a perennial playoff team in subsequent seasons. When one flashback to 2017 John Wall was an ascendant star. He was 26-years-old and wrapping up a season that saw him make his first All-NBA team and his fourth straight All-Star team.

In the summer of 2017, Wall signed a max-contract extension for 4-years and $170 million that tied him to Washington until 2023 and solidified him as the franchise superstar. However, in the seasons that ensued Wall’s body began to betray him. As his injury absences grew in length so did the responsibilities thrust onto Bradley Beal.

Beal’s ascent to an All-Star coincided with Wall’s decline due to injury and the Wizards began to tie their future to Beal. Part of it was out of necessity, Wall simply wasn’t on the court, but another part was that Beal had simply become a better player than John Wall.

The reality that faced John Wall was one he had never experienced in his life. He had never been a second fiddle on any team. The shift in power dynamics probably felt like the organization had given up on him. The Wizards very well might have, if not for his extension, but they’ve publicly stated that they want to make it work.

However, Wall doesn’t seem intent on fixing this marriage. If John Wall is going to find a new home he’ll need to find a team that is willing to take a chance on his comeback. These are five trades that could see John Wall getting his wish.