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The Philadelphia 76ers are still looking to figure out how they can improve their roster as they move forward in their title plans with Joel Embiid at the center of it all.
The Sixers thought they had the right cornerstone to Ben Simmons, but after a miserable playoff run, Philadelphia looked to move on from the talented, but infuriating, All-Star guard. The Sixers are looking to add more of an aggressive perimeter scorer and a guy who can break a defense in exchange for Simmons.
One name that has popped up recently is Houston Rockets goalie John Wall who has been made available for trading as they look to move forward with their rebuild. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins was a big voice believing Wall would be a perfect fit for the Sixers, but would he really do?
We go over the pros and cons if the Sixers were to consider acquiring Wall from the Rockets:
Wall may not be the speed demon he once was in his prime, but he’s averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 40 games for Houston. He was quick to the basket, he was pushing the pace and he wasn’t afraid of contact as he came to the foul line 5.3 times per game, knocking down 74.9% of them.
Wall’s ability to get into the paint and draw defense so he can kick his open teammates out as well as look to score for his own would be of great help. There are too many times the Sixers throw the ball at Embiid hoping he throws the team on their backs. He needs help marking the perimeter and Wall can do it.
The 2020-21 season could be an exception as the Rockets started to hold him back a bit towards the end of the season in order to give their young players more time, but he has only played 40 games so far as injuries were always taken into account. From 2017 to 2021, Wall played 113 total games and missed the entire 2019-20 season with the Washington Wizards.
It would be hard to really justify bringing in a guy like Wall and having to rely on him so much for a title race given his injury history. There is simply no guarantee that it will be there when it matters most.
Wall has proven in the past that he can make it to the playoffs and shake things up when his team needs it most. The former All-Star has averaged 21.9 points, 9.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds over his playoff career and has put in great performances on the league’s biggest stages.
Plus, Wall isn’t necessarily a great shooter – only a career 32.3% deep shooter – but he’ll take them at least. He’s averaged 3.1 trebles per game over his career and 6.2 times per game in the 2020-21 season. While the percentage isn’t great, his willingness to take them is at least helpful.
Protect your eyes! Wall is expected to earn around $ 44.3 million in the 2021-22 season, and then $ 47.3 million in the 2022-23 season. That’s a sky-high sum for a guy who hasn’t played much in the previous four seasons. The Sixers would take a huge risk if they made a commitment to Wall and brought him here given his big contract and injury history.
The Sixers could make this deal work for Wall in two ways. One of them would be to trade Tobias Harris directly for him, as the contracts match exactly. In that case, Philadelphia could just bring Simmons to power once and for all, but spacing would still be an issue.
The other way would be to trade Simmons and a few young players for Wall in order to match the salaries. For example, Simmons, Shake Milton and Isaiah Joe or Paul Reed would have to be moved for the deal to work. It would be nice if it was a guy like Damian Lillard, but Wall is damaged property at this point in his career.
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