John Wall and Houston Rockets could reportedly split this week

John Wall‘s short-lived tenure with the Houston Rockets will likely be over by Thursday.

Not even a week ago, the 31-year-old point guard picked up his $47 million player option with the Rockets for the 2022-23 season. That being said, the sense has always been that the two sides would part ways during the offseason. According to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko, a split could happen by the beginning of free agency on Thursday, June 30 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

A buyout (an expensive one) is the most likely option.

There were some trade talks involving a few teams on draft night, but none of those deals materialized. With the draft now behind them, the Rockets plan to reassess things with Wall. Sources say a breakup between Wall and the franchise is gaining momentum, with both sides expected to meet this week with Wall’s hope of a resolution — a trade or, more likely, a buyout — by the June 30 start of free agency.

Kelly Iko, The Athletic

Sources: A breakup between John Wall and the Rockets is gaining momentum, with both sides expected to meet this week with Wall’s hope of a resolution — a trade or more likely a buyout — by the June 30 start of free agency. https://t.co/eCWUtM4DJ9

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) June 27, 2022

Iko reports that a trade shipping Wall out of Houston is also a possibility, with Wall preferring to land on a team where he can contribute immediately and consistently. But the Rockets have found that deals surrounding Wall are hard to come by and trading him would only bring back the same amount of money on the books. Houston is preparing for an aggressive spending spree approach next offseason.

There is also the issue with Wall’s lack of production over the last several years which is mostly a result of various injuries. He missed the entirety of the 2019-20 season (injured) and 2021-22 season (sat out) while only playing 40 games in 2020-21 following his trade from the Washington Wizards. In those 40 games, Wall (30 at the time) performed well. He averaged 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists in over 32 minutes per game, although he shot just 40.4 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from deep.

With only half a season of work under his belt spanning the last three years, no team is going to be knocking down the Rockets’ door trying to work a trade. A buyout would at least allow Wall to choose his destination, where he’d likely sign for on a cheap deal.

Rockets shocked to see TyTy Washington fall

As has been the case in recent years with former Wildcats such as Immanuel Quickley and Tyrese Maxey, TyTy Washington took an unexpected slide on draft night. But as was the case with the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively, the Houston Rockets were ecstatic to see him fall that far.

In the same article by Iko, he takes readers behind the scenes of the Rockets front office during last week’s 2022 NBA Draft. Houston selected Auburn’s Jabari Smith at No. 3 and LSU’s Tari Eason at No. 17 before Washington fell into their lap at No. 29. Iko reports that the Rockets were surprised to see Washington available that late.

Houston actually had the No. 26 pick in the draft and was prepared to draft Washington, who was at the top of the team’s board at that point, but the Minnesota Timberwolves came calling, Iko reports, with two second-round draft picks to move down to No. 29. The Rockets gladly accepted, and still was able to land its preferred target in Washington. Interestingly enough, a tie to former Kentucky assistant Jai Lucas is what helped facilitate the interest.

“That’s just the old adage, take the best player,” Rockets GM Rafael Stone told Iko about Washington. “We did not expect him to be available at that point of the draft. It’s kind of funny, everyone always says the guy they pick was higher on their board than where they picked him — and it’s actually always true. In our case with him, that’s true. Someone organizationally we know really well. He played in the same AAU organization as my son, so I’ve been watching him play for a long time. He played for Jai Lucas at Kentucky. So we know his game really well, he’s someone who’s been on our radar for a long time. He’s simply very good at basketball. He has good sense at a young age, and we’re excited to have him be part of the group.”

The Rockets will likely lose one former ‘Cat in Wall but gained one for the future in Washington.