John Wall Trade Rumors: Interested Teams Asked Wizards for Multiple Draft Picks

The trade market for John Wall's services may have been even thinner than previously realized before the Houston Rockets acquired the guard and a future first-round pick for Russell Westbrook.

According to The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, any team that had "even a mild interest" in trading for Wall demanded "multiple picks" in compensation for taking a chance on a player who hasn't been on the court since January 2019 due to a heel injury followed by a ruptured Achilles tendon. 

The pick the Rockets acquired from Washington is a lottery-protected first-rounder in 2023, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

"If it doesn't convey in that year, it has a succession of protections that include picks Nos. 1-12 in 2024, picks 1-10 in 2025 and picks 1-8 in 2026, sources said. If it hasn't conveyed as a first-round pick to Houston by 2026, it becomes a second-round pick in each of 2026 and 2027, sources told ESPN."

Wall, 30, is due $41.25 million this season and $44.3 million in 2021-22 with a player option in 2022-23 that kicks his salary up another three million. If he sees his four-year, $171 million deal through to the end, Wall won't hit free agency until 2023. 

While Westbrook's contract is set up in similar fashion to Wall's, the production created by the former Oklahoma City Thunder star far exceeds what's expected of Wall over the next two years. 

Houston was swayed to take that risk with one draft pick. Other teams apparently needed more before they were convinced. 

If Wall can return to his pre-injury level—the guard has maintained he's healthy and ready for this season—Houston may come away with an easy win in this trade. 

Wall averaged 20.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 32 games before his 2018-19 season ended. Those type of numbers would go a long way in a backcourt shared with James Harden.