Houston Rockets: 3 trades that send John Wall to the New York Knicks

Reports have circulated that the New York Knicks have expressed interest in the Houston Rockets star point guard John Wall. A former NBA executive, in a conversation with the NBA Analysis Network, dropped the inside information on the Knicks’ intrigue over Wall.

“The Knicks have some level of interest in John Wall. Houston would love to move him and get something of value for him. He isn’t a long-term fit for the Rockets, and if New York really wants him, they have the pieces to get a deal done. Wall isn’t their top priority this offseason, but he could be an excellent fallback option and the interest is there.”

While it appears clear that Wall isn’t the Knicks’ primary target, he does fit their need for a primary creator to ease the burden on Julius Randle. The Knicks overachieved all season long on their way to the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed, but without any marquee free agents becoming available this offseason, if they want to build off of this season they’ll need to tap into the trade market.

Why the New York Knicks need the Houston Rockets’ John Wall

The Knicks had the league’s 23rd rated offense and were heavily reliant on Julius Randle for offense. Adding a playmaker of Wall’s quality would help boost the Knicks’ offense towards league average without taking anything away on defense where they were one of the league’s best.

Wall had an up and down season in Houston but it was his first season after nearly two years away from basketball and the condensed schedule put an undue amount of stress on his still-recovering body. Wall’s trade value around the league has been non-existent over the past few seasons but it has less to do with his performance and everything to do with his contract.

Why the New York Knicks are the only team that can acquire John Wall

John Wall is set to be the second-highest-paid player next season and his $47.3 million player option for 2022-23, at the moment, would see him be the league’s highest-paid player. The Knicks wouldn’t be trading for Wall to be a superstar to lead them to a championship but rather a veteran that can help them improve marginally.

The only reason the Knicks can even entertain acquiring Wall is that they have an incredible amount of cap space the next few seasons. Most teams couldn’t add Wall even if they wanted to but the Knicks can take on his salary and still have room to add more pieces.

If the Knicks offseason plans fall through, then Wall becomes an attractive option to give their offense a boost over the next two seasons. The Rockets should jump at the opportunity to get off of Wall’s contract, which means there is a deal to be made. Here are three trades the Knicks can make to land John Wall.

Next: Trade #3