Last week, NBA trade rumors shocked the Washington Wizards fanbase, and apparently John Wall. This week, things seem back to normal.
When the trade moratorium was lifted and the NBA offseason started getting going, Washington Wizards fans wanted their team to make some exciting moves. Hours before the draft, Shams Charania reported an apparent deal that would have been exciting, sure, but probably for the wrong reasons.
Just as Wizards fans were getting ready for an NBA Draft full of hope, Charania leaked some shocking news. The Wizards and Houston Rockets had discussed a Russell Westbrook-John Wall swap. The Rockets were reportedly asking for too much, so the talks died. But then, just as Wizards fans were celebrating the re-signing of Davis Bertans, Charania came back with another blower. This time, it wasn’t the Wizards wanting to trade Wall. Now, Charania was reporting that Wall wanted to be traded from the Wizards.
Panic mode: Activated.
With the Wizards hinging pretty much all of their 2020-21 season on Wall’s return, news that he wanted out before the season even began was devastating, to say the least. But there are (at least) two sides to every story, and the Wizards have a different version than Charania.
During a virtual press conference with the media, GM Tommy Sheppard made it as clear as he possibly could. The Washington Wizards have no intentions of trading John Wall. John Wall has not requested a trade from the Washington Wizards. Everything is good.
Tommy Sheppard just announced in a conference call with reporters that the Wizards have no plans to trade John Wall
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 23, 2020
Sheppard says he’s been talking to Wall “pretty much every other day” and they’ve been on the same wavelength. Says, “There’s no issues with John and the Wizards.”
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) November 23, 2020
D.C., you can now exhale. After days of pre-mourning the end of the John Wall era, Washington Wizards fans can now get back to projecting possible playoff standings in the newly loaded Eastern Conference.
Or can they? Just because Sheppard says there’s no plan to trade John Wall now, doesn’t mean they won’t reconsider down the road. If Wall increases his value with a few weeks of good play, they may have more suitors calling than the Rockets. Remember when the Raptors weren’t going to trade DeMar DeRozan? Yeah, things change.
It’s also worth noting that John Wall, himself, hasn’t squashed the rumors. We’ll see how this plays out, but for now, John Wall is a Wizard.