Report: LA Clippers Have Shown Interest in John Wall

The LA Clippers reportedly showed interest in John Wall at the beginning of the year

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One of the more interesting developments this season has been the availability of John Wall. The five-time All-Star is supposedly healthy, but has yet to suit up for the Houston Rockets this season. The team has reportedly been open to moving him; however, the league-wide interest has been minimal, largely due to Wall's massive contract.

John Wall is in the third year of his four-year / $170M contract extension, leaving a significant amount of remaining salary for any team that opts to trade for him. Wall has a $47M player option for next season that he is almost certain to take, so not only would a potential deal need to match the $44M he is making this season, but it would also require a team to likely pay him $47M next season as well.

For a Clippers team that is currently without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, such a trade would make no sense. In fact, this most recent report that indicated the Clippers have shown interest in John Wall, actually said nothing about this interest being recent. The quote from Kelly Iko, who wrote the article that is being referenced, stated that "One such team that had expressed interest earlier in the season was the LA Clippers, sources say, but there is some confusion from an outsider's perspective on the Clippers' objectives heading into the deadline."

Unsurprisingly, nobody has a clear indication of what direction the Clippers are heading at the trade deadline. This secrecy has been a constant for the Clippers' front office over the years, even to the point of upsetting players like Lou Williams and Blake Griffin for not informing them that they were being dealt. This front office very rarely leaks their plans, and in a season like this, it seems even less likely that anyone outside of the Clippers would know what the organization plans on doing.

The Clippers do not own their first-round pick this summer, so bottoming out and gunning for a top draft choice is not an option. This is what could lead some to believe the team may be interested in adding a win-now piece in John Wall; however, this latest report does not indicate that is the case. It did state that the interest was once there, but with now both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard sidelined, those around the league seem to have no idea what the Clippers plan on doing at this year's trade deadline.

If history is any indication, the Clippers will be active at the deadline; however, it seems highly unlikely that John Wall will be involved in that action.

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