Report: 'Some' Teams Planning for John Wall Possibly Returning for NBA Restart

With the Washington Wizards likely to be included in the NBA's restart, "some Eastern Conference teams" are planning for the possibility of John Wall suiting up for the team for the first time this season, according to SNY's Ian Begley.

Wall has been out of action since December, and he underwent surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon in February 2019.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the NBA is planning to have 22 teams travel to Orlando, Florida, to resume the current campaign. The Wizards would be among the nine East teams making the trip.

Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard told reporters in February the team was planning to have Wall sit out all of this year.

"I think we have maintained that all along," Sheppard said, per NBC Sports Washington's Chase Hughes. "We didn't plan on seeing him this year. I think that's fair to John, to manage the expectations for him. He's on his way, but he's not there and he's not close yet. He's a lot closer than he was a year ago when the injury happened."

Washington initially said Wall would need around 12 months to fully recover from Achilles surgery.

With the coronavirus pandemic forcing the NBA to suspend the season effective March 12, many fans have wondered whether stars with long-term injuries may now be able to impact the 2020 playoff picture. Wall, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson are the most notable examples.

The Golden State Warriors are already eliminated from postseason contention, which renders the discussion about Thompson moot. Durant's business partner, Rich Kleiman, also almost immediately threw cold water on the idea of Durant returning to the Nets this summer.

Assuming his Achilles has healed, some will argue Wall is effectively at the same point as his teammates in terms of preparation and physical readiness for what feels the seemingly inevitable restart.

Others will counter there's still too much risk in allowing the five-time All-Star to play. After missing more than a year and a half of meaningful action, he'd immediately be thrust into games with playoff implications.

Wall is signed for two more years at $85.6 million and has a $47.4 million player option for 2022-23. The last thing the Wizards want to have happen is him suffering another injury this summer that paints further doubt on his value going forward.

Opposing teams might as well prepare for the likelihood Wall is lining up in the backcourt because his absence wouldn't then force them to significantly alter their strategy.

From Washington's perspective, it wouldn't make much sense to have Wall come back for what could potentially be such a small stretch of games.