John Wall Signs With Clippers After Buyout With Rockets
John Wall hasn’t played basketball in over a year but somehow found a way to negotiate a buyout and join a new team in the span of 37 seconds. Shortly after agreeing to a buyout with the Houston Rockets, it has been announced that the former University of Kentucky point guard is joining the Clippers.
Wall, 31, is scheduled to make roughly $47 million this season. Wall agreed to a $6.5 million buyout. It would stand to reason that the Clippers will use their mid-level exception to sign Wall for that buyout salary. Regardless, Wall is going to be paid handsomely to not play for the Rockets is the point.
The roster fit does make sense. The Clippers have two real stars in the form of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. They need that one piece or two to get them over the top. Wall for virtually nothing doesn’t sound like the worst alternative for a team that’s desperate in total win now mode.
Reggie Jackson is really the only point guard option the Clippers have beyond Wall. Jackson is a nice scorer but it doesn’t come at a very efficient pace. Jackson averaged 16.8 points per game on less than 40% shooting. Jackson’s minutes could stand to be lowered after playing over 31 minutes last year. That number was just behind his career high (32.2 in Detroit).
If Wall has anything left, the Clippers could be lowkey dangerous. We forget they didn’t have Kawhi last year. Maybe the Clippers can get their hands on one more piece. They could be a REAL contender out west next season.
