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John Wall is not happy with the way the Washington Wizards have handled his business with the Houston Rockets. After giving everything to the team for over a decade, Wall says he felt the Wizards weren’t being honest or respectful about his exit from the organization, and that he felt that they weren’t up front about the possibility that it might be moved.
“I said all I wanted from the start was honesty. You know what I mean? Just tell me the truth, what it was. I can handle it,” Wall said. in an interview with Fred Katz of The Athletic. “I felt like I deserved the honesty and respect because I’ve been there for 10 years. I went through some tough times, when we had shitty teams and when we had good teams in DC, I never turned your back on the organization.
“I played almost every injury that a lot of people couldn’t have suffered,” Wall continued. “I played with broken hands in the playoffs. I think I did all I could and gave all I had, heart and soul to the organization on and off the field.”
Although general manager Tommy Sheppard publicly denied that the team were considering trading Wall in late November, the Wizards ultimately gave the veteran to the Houston Rockets on December 2 in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
“Everyone kept telling me, ‘No, that’s not true. Don’t believe it. Don’t believe it, ”Wall said of the swirling trade speculation. “And I’m like, I know Houston probably called them first. But that’s part of the business. Why not call if someone wants to be traded? See what I mean? And it’s not. nothing, just having conversations. And that’s all I wanted. If you have conversations, it’s cool, I get it. No one can ever tell me the truth about it. ”
Wall is happy in Houston, but the fact that he didn’t get the chance to play another season with longtime teammate and friend Bradley Beal is something that left a bad taste in Wall’s mouth, especially considering the way Beal is playing this season. Beal currently leads the NBA averaging 32.8 points per game in Sunday’s game against the Celtics.
“Goal # 1 is that you didn’t give me and Brad the opportunity to go back, like you all said. [would]Said Wall. “It was [my] and our ultimate goal. It was, OK, we’ll give it another chance. If it’s just a year or two, we were going to give it another chance just to see. … And it’s just crazy never having to do that. I don’t think they wanted to do this. I think they went ahead and did what they wanted, which is cool. But it was the most frustrating thing of all. For example, to have the opportunity to come back with my brother and play with the guy, the level he is at now. ”
Wall will return to Washington to play the Wizards as a member of the Rockets for the first time on Monday night, and it’s safe to say he’s looking to come away with a win.
“When I play the Wizards, I want to win every time we play them,” Wall said. “Anytime you’re traded by a team you want to win every time you play them, so that’s my ultimate goal.”
Wall may not be a member of the Wizards anymore, but he’s certainly left his mark on the franchise. As it stands, Wall is Washington’s all-time leader in assists and steals, and is fourth in total points. When you combine his on-court production with his off-court impact in the community, it’s clear Wall won’t be forgotten anytime soon in Washington.
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