John Wall is speaking out about his former team before his return to Washington Monday night. In a lengthy interview with Fred Katz of The Athletic, Wall said he had planned to retire with the Wizards and was “shocked” to find out that he had been traded to Houston in December.
“I felt like I deserved the honesty and respect because I’ve been there for 10 years. I’ve been through the bad times,” Wall said. “… I never turned my back on the organization. I played through damn near every injury that a lot of people wouldn’t have played through. I played through broken hands in the playoffs. I think I did everything I could and gave everything I had, heart and soul to the organization on and off the court.
“Then everybody kept telling me, ‘No, it’s not true. Don’t believe it. Don’t believe it.’ And I’m like, I know Houston probably called them first. But it’s part of the business. Why wouldn’t you call if somebody wants to be traded? You know what I mean? And it’s not nothing, just having conversations. And that’s all I wanted. If you’re having conversations, that’s cool, I get it. Nobody could ever tell me the truth about it.”
Wall didn’t single out anyone in the front office who he thought was being dishonest, but he did explain how he learned his time in Washington was about to end. On the night before the deal was announced, Wall received a two-word text message from Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard that read, “PLEASE CALL.” Rumors of a Wizards-Rockets trade had been circulating for about two weeks, so Wall knew what Sheppard was going to say.
The Rockets called him a few minutes later, and the next day he was on a plane to Houston.
The deal surprised Wall because he said the Wizards had shown so much support while injuries sidelined him for nearly two full seasons. He spent much of the fall working out in Los Angeles, and the team had made public and private statements about how much he had done to bounce back from surgeries to remove bone spurs from his left heel and to fix a ruptured Achilles.
Wall was returning to Washington from Los Angeles when the first report surfaced that the Wizards were talking to the Rockets about a swap involving Russell Westbrook.
“Somebody hit me and was like, ‘You know you’re on the trade block with Russell Westbrook.’ I’m like, ‘Ain’t no way I’m on the trade block,’” he said. “You know what I mean? I haven’t played in (two) years. And I was like, I know it’s part of the business. I said all I ever wanted from the start was honesty. You know what I mean? Just tell me the truth, what it was. I can deal with it.”
Wall said after the trade became official, one of his first phone calls was to Bradley Beal, his backcourt partner for eight years. Wall described the conversation as “emotional” and said both of them were crying. After a night of “trying to clear my mind,” Wall visited the practice facility to say goodbye to teammates and staff members, then headed to Texas.
Wall still watches all the Wizards’ games and cast an All-Star vote Saturday for Beal. He said his biggest regret about being traded is that he and Beal never got a chance to show they can still be successful together.
“The number one goal is, you didn’t give me the opportunity for me and Brad to run it back, like y’all said we (would),” Wall said. “That was (my) and our ultimate goal. It was, ‘OK, we’re gonna give it one more shot.’ If it’s just one year or two years, we were gonna give it one more shot just to see. … And it’s just crazy we never got to do that. I don’t think they wanted to do that. I think they moved forward and did whatever they wanted, which is cool. But that was the most frustrating thing than anything. Like, to have an opportunity to run it back with my brother and playing with the guy, the level he’s on now.”
With $80 million tied up in 2 players & continually striking out on draft picks, how exactly was WAS going to run it back?
It sounds more feelings related than should have expected the possibility?
I believe KD has a no trade clause or he had one also with Lebron.
Being employed in a business that requires you to move at the drop of a hat must be strange. Yes other jobs have that but we can usually quit and go to another corporation and do the same job. How do you do that as a professional athlete? Yes, many of them get paid huge dollars but it is real strange regardless. All of us closet GMs like to play the trade game but we forget the real relationships that some players (and families) make. Not all players are cold-hearted businessmen like some players or team employees. Wouldn’t it be great if Wall resigns with Wash when his contract comes up and they have success.
This is true but can’t any player just add a no-trade clause when they sign?
No trade clauses in the NBA were very rare for a while. Nearly non existent until recently. When you give out over priced deals like they do to Larry Sanders, Jon Koncak, and others there is not that much of a point to argue for them from the players side.
No, the contractors will not generally agree to an NTC and the CBA does not favor it. Lebron had it but I think no more. I never hear talk of NTCs anymore like I used to, like it was a status thing to have.
Your United States active duty military members have been doing it for centuries, and make a fraction what those guys make. Just part of what you sign up for.
Yeah. Appreciate all they do for us. Whole different world.
Not really fair to compare the military with the nba. Guys in the nba train their entire lives at an elite level. Anyone with a high school degree can go to boot camp for a month or whatever. There’s a reason they make so much more, and why when they get traded it’s way different than getting deployed (which you know when you signed up for)
And let’s not pretend career officers are panhandling in the streets. How many NBA superstars collect a pension from the government until they die?
Stop comparing day to day workers to sports entertainers.
We can quit and find a similar job,but we can also get fired with nothing at all to fall on.
It’s not comparable to a guy who might have to dip into his $100 million bank account to buy a new mansion.
Not true. Anyone with an employment contract (vs employment at will) losses the ability to leave their job and take another job in the field. If you want to quit, you still can, but your options are to stay home or find another line of work. Same as professional athletes. There are benefits and detriments to multi-year employment contracts. I know.
Beal was obviously crying in agonising anticipation of having to play with Westbrook.
I predict that Rockets will miss the playoffs next 7 years
Unless, there is always an unless
They tank for top 4 picks successfully
Man you are just a troll to Houston. Houston has no first round draft picks of their own for several years. They only acquired other teams draft picks when trading away assets. The Rockets traded most of their draft picks for CP3, Westbrook, etc. So that throws out the theory of tanking for a Top 4 pick that you suggested aka hinted.
Instead of trolling, maybe take a break for awhile
His knowledge of the Rockets is sketchy as best. Since moving to Houston 50 years ago they have missed the playoffs a total of 16 times, and never more than four years straight.
They only traded one first round pick to the Clippers for CP3 back in 2018, and two to OKC in 2024 and 2026 for Russ. The others he continuously goes on about are just swaps.
They should be getting a first round pick at some point in both the Covington and John Wall trades, so it basically evens things out.
But as far as making the playoffs goes, it’s far more likely that Houston continues to make it to the postseason for the next 7 years than it will be for them to miss the playoffs 7 years in a row.
In all likelihood they will fail to get there once or twice, but the chances of them not making the playoffs again until 2028 are about the same of him ever being general manager for an NBA team.
I don’t know, man, only over half the teams make the playoffs…
You think Washington considers dealing Westbrook at trade deadline this season?
Yes, but there is no market
Westbrook and Wizards 2021 unprotected First for Washed Blake Griffin
Both Wizards and Pistons would reject
I think they’d be thrilled if they could find any takers for Westbrook.
Never see people who complain about players asking for a trade comment on THESE posts, do we?
“The Wizards signed a contract with John Wall, they shouldn’t be able to trade him.” – they don’t say.
@Jason… totally agree with you, I have no problem with players wanting out, actually they have the right to if so they wish… but when teams want the players out, that is disgustingly outrageous & completely out of order, they shouldn’t have the right to it.
Folks let’s not forget the players are the show, we pay to watch them, teams are only names, concepts & ideas that don’t mean no nothing to no one!
You don’t understand employment contracts. The contract equivalent of a player “asking” for a trade would be a team “asking” the player to accept a salary below that guaranteed in the contract. Each, to the same degree, go right to the edge of a breach, and if actions are taken in furtherance of it, then it is a breach.
Exactly DXC. Wall is hurt for two years, Wizards still pay him because it’s in the contract.
It’s pretty simple. The player accepts a salary to play for whichever team holds the contract. Which is why people don’t comment on posts saying “the team shouldn’t trade a player” because it would be totally dumb.
Oh, I understand the contract perfectly. And I’m pretty sure that no NBA contract ever signed in the history of professional basketball says a player can not *privately* request a trade, nor does it say a player can’t manipulate his way out of town.
So I guess we’re in agreement then? Teams and players can do whatever the contract says they can, or doesn’t say they can’t?
There is also isn’t a contract signed that says people can’t complain about things on the Internet.
So what’s your point?
My point is that a lot of fans only defend the contract rights of ownership, and not of the players. Both parties sign the same contract; Both parties have similar amounts of leverage.
But for some reason, many fans want to see players get treated like property, and talk about the sanctity of contracts whenever a player makes moves to try and force his way out.
Of course, the way that many players force their way out is 100% in keeping with the contract…but we don’t hear about that.
So the talk about John Wall requesting a trade from the Wizards was just that?
I recall Wall demanding a trade in strong language. It was weird. Then the trade. Maybe Wall got wind there were talks already and he was offended… it took awhile and there was Westbrook-related pressure… there was a lot of public talk about whether a first should be involved and which direction it would go… not just from our houston poster, but broadly Texas-based.
But the storyline should -not- have shocked him intellectually. Associating Wall with reasoning may be the problem, but he did make the effort to go back and get a degree. He is probably building a case in his head anyway due to his hard-luck tale.
Of course Leonsis doesn’t always make sense either and GM Sheppard does what he’s told.
I don’t have links, but as I recall, ownership publicly said they wanted to keep it all together to run it back for 2020-21. No trades and resign Bertans for whatever it takes. The rest of the roster is cheap and held their own thru bubble-play.
Bertans resigns for $80mil, check. Then Wall’s gang-sign-gate 2020 broke. Trade rumors started, but were out-noised by the Houston situation.
I believe if Wall demanded a trade, it was after the gang-sign inspired rumors. But I don’t remember him saying anything publicly, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his trade demand was a fiction whispered by the Wiz, talking heads, or both.
link to msn.com
Wall’s trade demand was made to Shams Charnia, who said he “made it clear” around Nov.20. So indeed I was referencing Shams about Wall, not Wall, who did not say publicly.
Yahoo mentioned a “third strike” after the gang signs and the interest in Westbrook : Sheppard saying Beal was the team leader.
“As soon as Tommy said it was Brad’s team, you knew [the trade] was coming,” the [league] source told Yahoo Sports.
Rockets really want John Collins to pair with Wood
Trade Idea
Rockets get John and Snell
Hawks get Grant and Rockets 2023 First Swap
Pistons get Oladipo and Rockets 2022 top 4 protected First
As a result Rockets trade away all their own first round picks 11 consecutive years 2016 to 2026
Troll somewhere else
Boo Hoo …. you have to be a big star for no trade clause. I’m a GM I don’t give those out. Team is most important thing. Players will always have a job. My job is to make my team better and a winner. Everyone knows from day 1 how this business is. Take your 42 mill a yr and cry with your family. Like they say, being traded. Only means another team wants you more.
John Wall demanded a trade after statements were made alluding to the Wizards now being Brad Beal’s team. This is silly. He requests to be traded, gets traded, and then is “shocked” that the team traded him. I lost all respect for John Wall when the video of him at a party clearly high as kite, all the while he is flashing a stack of cash and gang signs declaring his allegiance. He can pass out all the turkeys he wants on Thanksgiving in D.C. John Wall and ANY other NBA players glorifying the gang culture and lifestyle need to be booted from the league. This is why WE are dying in the streets! The cancel culture needs to cancel John Wall!
Who is “we” there Barry? Are you in a gang?
Black People!!! You ain’t in the “We”
John Wall is glorifying gang culture?
You mentioned “players” are glorifying gang culture – is there a list somewhere of all the players who are doing this? I’m sure if someone brought the list to the NBA’s attention, they’d take it seriously. The league office never misses an opportunity to tell the league how to do its’ business.