In the midst of the Houston Rockets current 15-game losing streak, a conflict between John Wall and the organization’s front office continues to grow more tense. The veteran point guard wants out, but the front office won’t let him leave, leading to a stalemate.
On Tuesday, Wall finally addressed the ongoing conflict publicly.
The five-time NBA All-Star took to Twitter after another Rockets loss to agree with a fan who said that the Houston point guard was getting punished for something he couldn’t control. He also corrected
The John Wall situation is pretty wild. He’s traveling with the Rockets, sitting on the bench in uniform but isn’t playing. I don’t know how that benefits the Rockets or Wall.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) November 23, 2021
“>SI’s Chris Mannix by confirming that he hasn’t been dressing for the team this year.
Wall has yet to appear in a game this season and it doesn’t look like any resolution is in the works.
The Rockets have most of the leverage in the situation with Wall and the organization has shown that it won’t give in easily. Houston hasn’t found a trade partner that will offer a competitive deal for a 31-year-old point guard with a troubling injury history. The front office also doesn’t want to buyout Wall’s contract that’s due to pay him $44 million this season.
As a result, the situation has reached a standstill. NBA fans and media members are troubled by the Rockets’ treatment of Wall and are perplexed at why the team isn’t at least playing the former No. 1 overall pick at this time.
When Wall did play for the Rockets last season, he showed that he still has plenty of ability left to compete at the NBA level. In 40 games for Houston, he averaged 20.6 points and 6.9 assists, but shot just 40.4 percent from the floor.
Rockets head coach Stephen Silas said earlier this season that Wall was conducting himself professionally and had been a “helpful presence” in the locker room.
“He’s traveling with the team and working out, and preparing himself for whatever comes next for him,” Silas said, per the RocketsWire. “He’s been good for our group. He’s been good as far as watching film with guys, and pulling them aside when they come off the court. He’s on the bench, he’ll be on the bench tonight, and is definitely a helpful presence.”
However, it looks like the time for niceties is over. Wall wants to be playing basketball, ideally outside of Houston, but he sounds willing to get back on the court with the Rockets for the time being.
Time will tell if his comments on Twitter lead to any changes with his status.
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