Bradley Beal and John Wall interested in Wizards reunion

Rumors are swirling around the NBA of mutual interest in a reunion of sorts between NBA All-Star Bradley Beal, and his former teammate John Wall. The two were a dynamic pair together with the Washington Wizards in DC from 2011-2019.

They were one of the best backcourts, not in only the Eastern Conference, but the entire NBA over that nine-year span. But it all came to a halt when John Wall suffered a career-altering Achilles injury which found him on the shelf for over a year and some change.

Bradley Beal and John Wall interested in Wizards reunion

The two helped bring the Wizards back to relevancy, going as far as game seven of the second round in the 2017 NBA playoffs. Beal was coming into his own as an All-Star caliber off guard and Wall had one of the best individual postseason runs of any point guard in recent NBA history.

They were flirting with greatness until the aforementioned season-ending injury would force the Wizards hand in moving off from the former superstar point guard via a blockbuster trade.

DC made a deal with the Houston Rockets in the 2020 offseason that sent John Wall to the Houston Rockets for a perennial All-NBA guard (at the time) in Russell Westbrook.

The trade seemed to be a lateral move for both franchises, as it did not move the proverbial needles at all. The Wizards, with Bradley Beal and Westbrook, struggled to get through the 2021 play-in tournament and were promptly bounced by a tough Philadelphia 76ers squad in five games.

The Rockets went belly up to start the season after James Harden forced his way out the door, and the two Kentucky products in DeMarcus Cousins and Wall were questionable fits at best in H-Town. The team finished at the bottom of the standings.

Now, fast forward to this season, and both teams are at a standstill with the playoffs being a pipedream at this point. In fact, Wall isn’t even playing for the Rockets, as the two sides could not come to a mutual agreement on what his role should be.

In a recent report from David Aldridge of The Athletic (subscription required), it was reported that Wall has told those close to him that he’d be open to a return to Washington, while Beal stated that he “wouldn’t dismiss” the idea, either.

So, let’s examine their situations a bit, shall we? Mr. Wall has an astounding $47 million dollar player option for the 2022-23 season that he will almost surely opt into. Meanwhile, the Wizards star shooting guard has a $36 million dollar player option that he is likely to opt into for next season.

There are only two conceivable ways they could end up playing together anytime soon. One would be Bradley Beal forcing his way to Houston with the agreement that he and Wall get to star together in the backcourt (highly unlikely). And the other is if Wall and the Rockets come to an agreement on a buyout.

The other, less immediate option, is the two stars looking to team up in the 2023-24 season once their contracts run out (assuming both opt into their hefty paydays this summer). Imagine a potential big four of Wall-Beal-Kuzma-Porzingis. It’s a very interesting quartet, to say the least, and they could make some real noise in a wide-open Eastern Conference.