Rockets: Is Tilman Fertitta financially prepared for a John Wall buyout?

More relevant examples to Houston Rockets guard John Wall’s contract

Earlier this season, Blake Griffin agreed to a buyout with the Detroit Pistons, despite being owed $75 million through next season. Griffin gave back $13.3 million to the Pistons (18%) to become an unrestricted free agent, and later sign with the Brooklyn Nets.

Another recent example of a player taking a buyout with multiple years left on his deal is DeMarre Carroll, who was in the first year of his 3-year deal at the time of the buyout last season. Carroll gave back just $811, 447 of the $21 million he was signed to (roughly 4%).

As we can see, players don’t typically give back much in buyouts, and players also don’t generally agree to buyouts with multiple years left. And in the case of Wall, he’d practically have to agree to essentially deduct his scheduled $47 million player option to even make such a move possible this summer (which would be 52% of his remaining salary).

Why exactly would he do that when he likely won’t reach those annual figures again in his career? He’d have to desperately want out of Houston in order to give that up, and even that would be asking for alot.

Wall is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, who also represents LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers. Could a scenario emerge where Wall does give back $47 million to join the Lakers this summer?

He could possibly make a good portion of that money back in off-the-court endorsements in the Los Angeles market, so maybe that would tempt him, but even that is a reach. With that being said, a buyout this summer would likely mean the Rockets would have to pay Wall somewhere in the neighborhood of $70-85 million (based on the percentages of the aforementioned players).

In other words, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta needs to be prepared to pony up, if the Rockets do intend to go the route of buying out Wall this offseason.