Houston Rockets: A Chronology of the John Wall situation

John Wall has no trade market

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski sums up the Rockets and John Wall’s predicament. The cost of his contract over the next two seasons makes trading for him nearly impossible. Not only is Wall’s contract hard to fit into a team’s salary cap situation, but any team trading for him would have to send nearly $44 million in salary back to the Rockets. 

The Rockets telling Wall they would look to trade him was always an empty gesture. Wall agreed to sit out so the Rockets could trade him. He didn’t agree to sit out just for the sake of it. He believed it would lead to something else. The Rockets knew they wouldn't be able to hold up their end of the bargain.

John Wall's change of heart

After five weeks, John Wall informed the Rockets that he would like to play again. He likely realized a trade was not going to materialize and decided he didn’t want to miss yet another season. He missed all of the 2019-20 season due to injury.

Another factor to consider is that the Rockets have the worst record in the league. Wall has been around the team and knows that he can help this team right now. There's a high likelihood that Wall has watched this team and believes he can help them, which is kind of the problem. 

The reality of the situation for John Wall and the Rockets

The Rockets and Wall both know that a trade isn’t on the horizon. They also know that Wall is their best guard and one of the highest-paid players with more accolades than the entire team combined. The reality of the situation is that neither side can get what they want. In every negotiation, before the compromise, there is always conflict.