NBA off-season 2022: Rockets' John Wall opts into his USD 47.4 million player option for next season

According to reliable NBA Insider Shams Charania, Houston Rockets guard John Wall has picked up his $47.4 million player option. The Rockets, who paid Wall over $40 million while not playing him in a single minute, are expected to look for trade partners or a buyout for the former all-star guard. Wall was drafted by the Washington Wizards in 2010 and led the franchise back to relevance with multiple Playoffs appearances as it became a multi-time all-star, all-NBA, and all-defensive selection. After the 2016-17 NBA season, where Wall played his best basketball and led the team to within a Conference game, the Wizards offered Wall one of the biggest deals in the entire league: A Supermax contract.

The contract would kick in 2019 and offer Wall up to $170 million. Unfortunately, for the Wizards, Wall didn't play a single game for the team until the agreement kicked in, as he suffered an injury that kept him out for almost two seasons. Realizing Wall was one of the most overpaid and untradable contracts, the Wizards moved Wall (a first-round pick) to Houston for Russell Westbrook.

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John Wall would play again, but he was nowhere near the player he once was. As the Rockets started to enter a rebuild, it was clear that John Wall wouldn't be part of their plans. In most scenarios, this would lead to a trade. However, Wall's contract had become so untradable that the franchise couldn't find a trade partner. As a result, Wall had to sit out the entire 2021-22 season while the Rockets developed their young guards.

Thankfully for Wall's NBA career, there is a good chance he gets to play on an NBA court soon as there are possibilities of a trade or buyout with only a year left on his contract. A buyout would see Wall collect his $47.6 million before signing with another team for a more reasonable price.

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In his recent tweet, Charania said, "Houston Rockets' John Wall's agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, has informed the organization that the guard exercised his $47.4 million player option for the 2022-23 season." He added that both sides are expected to work through a resolution on Wall's tenure shortly.