NBA News: Rockets Expected to Part Ways With John Wall

Amid their retooling phase following the James Harden era, the Houston Rockets are looking to move on from their veteran point guard, John Wall. Last offseason,

Amid their retooling phase following the James Harden era, the Houston Rockets are looking to move on from their veteran point guard, John Wall.

Last offseason, the Rockets were faced with a handful of tough decisions they had to make. Right around the same time, their two key players Russell Westbrook and James Harden, requested trades.

Westbrook was the first domino to fall as the Rockets dealt the former MVP to the Washington Wizards. In exchange, they received five-time All-Star point guard John Wall, who missed the entire 2019-2020 season due to injury.

Last year, Wall appeared in 40 games for the Rockets. Spending an average of 32 minutes on the floor each night, he put up 20 points per game while shooting 40-percent from the field and 31-percent from three.

While Wall showed he could still be a reliable scorer in the NBA, he didn't help the struggling Rockets get very far. Placing last in the Western Conference with a record of 17-55, the Rockets missed the playoffs by a longshot.

Now, as they look to begin a new era, Houston is reportedly working on finding a new location for the 31-year-old point guard. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Rockets' front office agreed to find a new home for the veteran All-Star as they don't plan to have Wall play in any games for them this season.

"In a meeting between Wall and the Rockets recently, Houston officials explained to Wall the direction of the franchise and that the team wants to protect the veteran guard’s health. The Rockets explained that the team does not want to jeopardize Wall’s fitness, and the sides agreed on the route that won’t complicate his ability to continue playing at a high level."

Wall's availability could intrigue a team like the Sixers. As they are looking to move on from their All-Star point guard Ben Simmons, the 76ers have struggled to find an All-Star caliber to get back in return for their 25-year-old three-time All-Star. 

Obviously, it would cost more than Wall for the Sixers to give up Simmons, but the veteran point guard could be an option for Philly if they fail to find an immediate replacement at the starting point guard position without Simmons in the picture.

But there are some roadblocks that could prevent the Sixers from landing Wall even if there is interest involved. For starters, the Rockets' front office has shown an unwillingness to deal with Daryl Morey. As the Sixers were willing to put up Simmons and much more in a trade to net Harden, rumors speculated that the Rockets had zero intentions of making a deal with their ex-GM.

In this case, the Sixers would have to wait for a buyout to happen, which doesn't seem to be coming to life anytime soon. Per Charania, there are no buyout plans at this time. Would the Sixers really be willing to dish out $91.7 million over the next two years for a player that's dealt with tons of injuries over the last few years? It's hard to imagine the Sixers are even considering it even if the Rockets are willing to talk shop with Daryl Morey again. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.