John Wall working out in Miami

In that same Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears said that John Wall is working out in Miami, away from the Rockets, as the team continues to survey his trade market. Although Houston has had some conversations about Wall, most of those scenarios are viewed as “pie in the sky,” according to Spears, who adds that the club views a swap involving Russell Westbrook as the most realistic option for Wall at this point. During his conversation with Spears, Windhorst stated that the Rockets guard isn’t interested in losing any money in a buyout agreement.
Source: Hoops Rumors

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Brian Windhorst @WindhorstESPN
New podcast. A look at Bulls’ challenges after injury wave, John Wall update & Blazers unexpected turn + more (w/@Marc J. Spears & @Kevin Pelton) es.pn/3ADjtO4 – 10:22 AM

Eric Pincus @EricPincus
Latest @BleacherReport Latest NBA Trade Intel: Would a John Wall-Westbrook Trade Really Help Lakers? — if the Lakers feel the “need” to get out of RW and are willing to pay a big jump in tax, a Wall swap could open some financial doors bleacherreport.com/articles/29527… – 2:19 PM

David Hardisty @clutchfans
This is a great read from @Kevin O’Connor. It accurately describes the trade value of Talen Horton-Tucker, how a Russell Westbrook-John Wall trade would work and why Eric Gordon is the “NBA Trade Deadline Name to Watch”
theringer.com/nba/2022/1/24/… – 2:17 PM

Kelly Iko @KellyIkoNBA
Rockets trade deadline notebook 1.0: What I’m hearing on John Wall, Eric Gordon, Christian Wood and more
via @TheAthletic theathletic.com/3087642/2022/0… – 1:58 PM

Kelly Iko @KellyIkoNBA
A handful of teams are monitoring the John Wall/Houston situation ahead of the Feb. 10 deadline, sources tell @TheAthletic.
That and more #Rockets intel in version 1.0 of our notebook.
theathletic.com/3087642/2022/0… – 9:56 AM

More on this storyline

Marc J. Spears: I do think while I guess health is certainly an issue, from a basketball standpoint, I think that John Wall fits better (than Russell Westbrook). And yes, there’s a gamble, he hasn’t played, but I’m hearing he’s healthier now that he’s been in a long time, he’s certainly rested, he plays the point guard position. -via ESPN / January 25, 2022

I included a line in there about how the Rockets have zero interest in Westbrook actually playing for them again, but I didn’t properly expound on the buyout that would be required after such a trade. Westbrook is owed $47 million next season. If the Lakers actually reached the point that they were willing to send their 2027 first-round pick to the Rockets to convince them to ship out John Wall and take Westbrook back, it is expected that Westbrook and Houston would swiftly enter buyout talks. -via marcstein.substack.com / January 24, 2022

Buyout discussions with a player owed more than $50 million are never easy, but it is believed Houston would happily cope with that challenge if it could get the future first-rounder from the Lakers. Reason being: The Rockets, remember, are already facing the same conundrum. Wall is owed $47.4 million next season and hasn’t logged one minute this season after he balked at the limited role Houston offered him. -via marcstein.substack.com / January 24, 2022