21:49 ET
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Adrian Wojnarowski
CloseSenior NBA Insider
- Host of The Woj Pod
- He joined ESPN in 2017
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Tim McMahon
CloseESPN freelance writer
- He joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009
- Covers Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Mavericks
- Appears regularly on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM
After agreeing to buy with the Houston Rockets, guard John Wall plans to sign a free agent deal with the LA Clippers, sources told ESPN on Monday.
Wall, who needed $ 47.4 million from the Rockets after exercising the player option for the last year of his contract, has agreed to take $ 6.5 million less to become a free agent, a source told ESPN. That’s roughly the amount of the average taxpayer exemption that Wall can get after he can negotiate a deal with the Clippers.
The Rockets wanted to reach an agreement with Wall before the start of the free agency on Thursday to maximize his chances of choosing his next team, sources said.
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The 31-year-old Rockets and Wall have reached a mutual decision that the veteran guard will not play last season with Houston in the early stages of recovery. Instead, the Rockets gave priority to the development of young guards Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green, so Wall did not fit into the franchise’s plans despite his $ 44.3 million salary.
Wall averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists in 40 games for the Rockets in 2020-21, proving he can still perform at a high level after missing the previous season and a half due to heel surgery and a torn Achilles tendon. . He spent parts of last season with the Rockets, training and sitting on the bench during games, and the rest of the time training alone in Miami.
Wall was replaced in Houston along with a future first-round pick for Russell Westbrook in December 2020, after spending the first 11 years of his career at the Washington Wizards, who selected him as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 Rockets draft. were considered contenders at the time, but the franchise drastically changed direction when former MVP James Harden forced his exchange at the start of the 2020-21 season.
Wall, who has a career-high 19.1 points and 9.1 assists, will fill the Clippers’ need for a playmaker in a team with championship ambitions, with Cowie Leonard returning after missing the 2021-22 season while recovering. from a partially torn ACL in his right knee. Reggie Jackson averaged 16.8 points and 4.8 assists as LA’s starting defender last season when the Clippers made 42-40 and were eliminated in the playoffs.
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