John Wall‘s injury issues have gone from bad to worse, according to a new announcement from the Wizards. After initially undergoing season-ending surgery on his left heel last month, Wall developed an infection in the incision from that surgery, then suffered a ruptured left Achilles tendon when he slipped and fell in his home, the team announced today in a press release.
As a result of the new injury, Wall will undergo surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon. That procedure will likely happen next week, per Candace Buckner of The Washington Post (Twitter link). According to the club, the veteran point guard is expected to return to full basketball activity in approximately 12 months after undergoing that surgery.
It’s brutal news for the Wizards and for Wall, who will enter the first year of a four-year, maximum-salary contract extension in 2019/20. That extension has a projected starting salary of $38.15MM and a projected total value of $170.91MM. However, it doesn’t sound like Wall will play much – if at all – during the first season of his new deal, as the 12-month timeline would keep him on the shelf until around the All-Star break in 2020.
Even when Wall returns, it will likely take him some time to get back up to speed, if previous NBA Achilles injuries are any indication. Considering he’s a player who relies so much on his quickness and explosiveness, there’s also no guarantee he’ll recapture his pre-injury form. He’ll be 29 years old by the time he gets back on the court for the Wizards.
The Wizards will now have to address their point guard position this offseason, since they’ll be without Wall for much of the 2019/20 campaign. Tomas Satoransky, who has assumed Wall’s spot in the starting lineup, will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. We heard last month that Washington had explored a possible in-season extension for Satoransky, who would be eligible for a four-year contract worth up to about $47.5MM.
Before going down for the season, Wall was his usual productive self for the Wizards, averaging 20.7 PPG and 8.7 APG with a .444 FG% in 32 games. However, Washington was well below .500 at the time of Wall’s injury and remains on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture today. The 22-31 Wizards are tied for 10th in the East with Orlando.
Despite the Wizards’ struggles, owner Ted Leonsis has said a playoff spot is still the goal, stressing that the franchise has no plans to trade any of its Big Three (Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter). Of course, Wall’s value would be in the tank at this point anyway, so he won’t be a trade candidate anytime soon.
As Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer and Michael Lee of The Athletic observe (via Twitter), the one silver lining for Wall is that he signed his extension from the Wizards while it was available to him in 2017. If he had passed on that offer, he would have been in line for unrestricted free agency this July, and would have found himself in a position similar to the one DeMarcus Cousins was in last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Wow , brutal luck
Yikes. I hope he heals up and can come back. When he’s on, he’s super fun, and I’d like for him to be able to play the game he loves.
Terrible injury though.
Man Washington is screwed for the next few seasons.
The saddest part is they’re way better with Satoransky at PG
Is that actually the saddest part?
Of course it’s sad. Don’t you get it they’re paying 38 million dollars for a guy who’s out? That’s money that counts against the cap?
Oh yeah, because someone else’s spent money is much sadder than the health of a fellow human being.
Reading it again with your point of view I understand what you’re saying. My bad.
I took it that the second guy said it’s really not that sad that the team is better with the other guy running the point. Is not that sad. Know what I mean?
So you’re right I don’t think he meant that and another guy’s health is number one of course. Thank you.
Financially, the saddest part is they’re better with a cheaper guy. That was my angle and I thought the second guys angle. But Wall being hurt is the saddest part. I get it. Thank you for pointing it out. Had to say so in two posts.
You’re a good dude, Gary.
Health? He’s not dying. He didn’t come down with cancer. You wouldn’t trade a 12 month setback with your achilles for 38mil?
That depends on whether I thought money was the be all and end all of life. If I had already received as much money as Wall has in his career…in no way would I do that. There is a very good chance that this injury turns him into Derrick Rose that is hobbling around for the remainder of his career. I think Wall wants to be a superstar-level Hall of Fame basketball player far more than the money.
Lol Well you know if you have Wall money or not..: would you trade a year of rehab for 38mil?
Obviously every regular non ultra rich human on the face of the Earth would trade a torn Achilles for 500k let alone 38 freaking million. It’s hard for most to feel bad for Wall, whose a guy who never seem that invested in anything but his own agenda
Lol Not sure I would for 500k
For 500k the vast majority of people for sure would deal with that “hardship”.
Slow down hiflew. You’re acting like the guy has a terminal illness or something. He ruptured his Achilles, the man is gonna live.
Wow. I am shooketh.
Is it just me or does this seem like the worst excuse ever? Find it hard to believe he ruptured an achilles by “slipping an falling in his home.” Seems fishy to me…
Idk. Try it and find out.
It makes a lot of sense, especially when he already had a heel injury
You try showering with a bad foot. It’s slippery enough with two good feet. I could easily see someone with one bad wheel slipping and injuring themselves further in the bathroom.
Exactly. Very well put.
My wife broke her femur and even after she could walk again she fell several times in the shower due to favoring one leg. Our bodies work in unison. Break a finger and you’ll see how much you actually need it.
Olindo Mare pulled a hamstring stretching. Fluke injuries happen all the time.
Maybe he could convert to a pitcher.
wizards are in a bad spot
So that Supermax… really good for the league.
Wow that really sucks. I’ve always been a fan of John Wall. I was hoping to see him come off this recent down stretch with a purpose, and in position to justify his contract. Now that’s GG for him and Washington, and for it to happen that way is super unfortunate, and I can somewhat relate to that part of it
wiz have been balling since wall got injured.. just sayn
Wiz were an actual playoff contender in the past with Wall as the leader. I’m tired of the disrespect he gets
Financially, this isn’t bad news for the Wizards. Instead of paying him way too much for 4 seasons, they only have to pay him way too much for 3 seasons. Granted, he’ll be a shadow of himself in 2021-22, but that seemed likely before this injury. He was already starting to decline.
If Washington stretches the guy during the 2021-22 season, he only hits the cap for $17 million or so in 2022-23 (and four years following). By then, the cap might be $120 million, so the hit won’t be too bad… Kind of like a bad mid-level deal. The Wizards can overcome that.
Obviously this sucks for Wall. But this is a windfall for the Wizards that will allow them to spend more freely. They might just get better this off-season as a result.
They still have to pay him regardless of his injury. There’s no financial upside for the Wizards.
Put a fork in him – unfortunately it looks like his career is over
Addition by subtraction. They are a better team without him.
Call up LAL and see how much of that AD package you can get for Beal. Would imagine they could build a deal around Ingram and Hart.
DRose 2.0