Adam Silver on Rockets' John Wall: 'It's a Problem When Players Are Paid Not to Play'

John Wall hasn't played all season for the Houston Rockets, and he's still getting paid. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver admitted Saturday that he believes paying players not to play is an issue.

"Of course I think it's a problem when players are paid not to play," Silver told reporters.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported in September that the Rockets and Wall mutually agreed to find the veteran point guard a new home. The two sides reportedly met and came to the decision after seeing "eye-to-eye" on the direction of the franchise.

The Rockets are transitioning to a younger roster after trading former franchise cornerstone James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in January 2021. Houston now plans to build around players like Jalen Green, Jae'Sean Tate, Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood.

Wall is currently one of two players on Houston's roster over the age of 30, joining guard Eric Gordon.

In November, Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix reported there had been "zero traction" on a trade for Wall. The news came after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported it was "increasingly likely" the five-time All-Star would not play this season because his hefty contract was prohibiting the Rockets from trading him (h/t CBSSports.com's Brandon Boykin).

Wall is in the third season of a four-year, $171.1 million deal. He has a $44.3 million cap hit this season and a $47.3 million player option for the 2022-23 campaign.

Wall can still be an effective player for a title-contending team. During the 2020-21 season, he averaged 20.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists while shooting 40.4 percent from the floor and 31.7 percent from deep in 40 games. It was his first season back from knee and Achilles injuries that sidelined him for the 2019-20 campaign.

However, at this point, Wall might not get his chance to play until the 2022-23 season. The Rockets could still waive him, but they also could have done that months ago.