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USATSI

John Wall very nearly experienced déjà vu earlier this season when he was linked to the Los Angeles Lakers in trade rumors. A possible deal would have revolved around Russell Westbrook, who he was already traded for in 2019. That deal ultimately didn't come to fruition, and Wall's frustrating 2021-22 season continued.

The Houston Rockets point guard has not played this season. He is healthy enough to do so, but the Rockets prefer to give his minutes to their younger players. All told, he has played just 40 games over the past three seasons due to a combination of injuries and circumstances. The Lakers represented his best chance at getting his career back on track, but according to The Athletic's David Aldridge, there is another situation he would have some interest in.

One source told Aldridge that Wall would be open to a reunion with the Washington Wizards, who are suddenly in need of a point guard. Washington dealt Spencer Dinwiddie and Aaron Holiday at the trade deadline, so Wall would provide a veteran presence at point guard that the Wizards currently lack. 

Unfortunately, constructing a feasible trade from a salary perspective would be extraordinarily difficult. The Wizards used most of their salary flotsam to acquire Kristaps Porzingis, whom they'd seemingly prefer to keep. Most of their other bigger salaries are necessary for other reasons. Kyle Kuzma has become an essential part of the team. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is close friends with Bradley Beal, whom the Wizards would like to re-sign this offseason. Matching salary on Wall's $47 million deal would therefore be very difficult.

There's also the matter of the original trade. Washington moved Wall in part because it thought it could do better at point guard. The Wizards know him as well as any franchise in basketball. If they really believed in his future, they likely would have kept him in the first place. For now, all of this makes a reunion fairly unlikely unless Wall secures a buyout. Never say never in the modern NBA, but there just isn't an obvious Wall destination on the trade market right now.