It feels like just yesterday when John Wall was coming out of Kentucky, highly touted as the consensus No. 1 overall pick, possessing the potential of an NBA superstar. It’s hard to make an argument that he didn’t live up to his draft standing, where Wall made five All-Star teams before a serious bout of injuries took away from his overall impact.
In addition to being an All-Star, Wall also made the All-Rookie, All-Defensive, and All-NBA teams in his career. But after playing in just 106 regular season games over the past five years, there’s some question as to how much interest the 32-year-old will generate in NBA free agency.
While Wall averaged 20.6 points per game across 40 contests with the Houston Rockets in 2021, he then missed the entire 2022 season while the organization couldn’t see eye-to-eye with the point guard on his role.
The 2023 season saw Wall get back on the court, signing a two-year, $13 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers last offseason. Unfortunately, the organization included Wall as part of a bigger three-team trade ahead of the in-season deadline.
Wall was quickly released from his contract with the Rockets again back in February but was unable to catch on with another NBA team. Now he sits in free agency, free to sign a contract with any team he chooses. Yet, if teams weren’t knocking down his door as the final stretch of the season wore on in 2023, who’s to say Wall will have better luck this summer?
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One potential solution for the former Wildcats star is to head overseas where several teams would proudly make him their starting point guard. In fact, South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian NBL reportedly has Wall on their radar.
According to Michael Randall of Code Sports Phoenix, Phoenix is searching for an “elite point guard,” and Wall could fit the bill. The former Washington Wizards star even holds a minority stake in the South East Melbourne basketball team and maintains close ties with the franchise’s majority owner.
Chances are, Wall will exhaust every last option possible in NBA free agency before considering an attractive over to play overseas, but it’s clear that if he wants to continue playing, the Raleigh, North Carolina native will have at least one option available this summer.
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