John Wall staying in Washington
Free agency in the National Basketball Association started on November 20th and the league has already seen a lot of big names swapping jerseys and starting anew. It is not just free agents on the move though, as teams look to trade players or draft picks to try and improve their squad.
One name that has been rumoured to be on the move for a while now is Washington Wizard’s former All-Star point guard John Wall. Speculation had begun to grow that Wall wanted out of the Wizards’ organization and that he had requested a trade. However, in a video conference call with reporters on Monday the team’s general manager Tommy Sheppard was adamant that Wall will be staying in Washington and has never asked to leave.
“No, he didn’t request [a trade],” Sheppard said, via ESPN. “John and I talk pretty much once every other day. And [I’ve] been to many of his workouts throughout the summer, we have always been on the same page, same wavelength. Same with Bradley [Beal].”
“There’s no issues with John and I. There’s no issues with John and the Wizards. There’s no issue with anybody.”
Washington selected Wall first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft and has spent his entire career with the franchise. He has struggled with injuries recently and has not played a game since December 26th, 2018 after he ruptured his left Achilles.
Sheppard remains confident that Wall will be able to comeback stronger than ever though, claiming the point guard has been working hard on expanding his game and becoming more of a multi-dimensional threat.
“I’ve seen enough of him the last two years and certainly this summer to know that he’s gotten his explosiveness back,” Sheppard said. “… He’s very comfortable from 3 now and that is something that I think will be a huge weapon for us moving forward.”
The Wizards ended the regular season last year with a 25-47 record, finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference and missing out on the playoffs for the second year in a row. It is the third time in the past five seasons that club has failed to reach the postseason.
Sheppard is hoping to have a healthy Wall back in the starting lineup though where he can play alongside Bradley Beal who has helped carry the load in Wall’s absence.
“He is excited about getting back here… it’s a new story now with John and Bradley,” the general manager said. “It’s not a sequel. They haven’t played together in two years. But they both look forward to playing together. That is where we are at and that is where we move on to.”
Beal was named to the All-Star game in both 2018 and 2019 and would certainly benefit from having a healthy Wall in the lineup to play alongside with. The 2020-21 season will commence on December 22nd, with the NBAPA and NBA reaching an agreement earlier in November. A full schedule of games for the upcoming campaign is expected to be released sometime around December 1st.
