There is a report that the Detroit Pistons have made an offer to the Houston Rockets for veteran point guard John Wall. The initial reaction for most fans would be: Why? It does not seem to make much sense on the surface.
The two big names who will most likely be on new teams by the start of the season are the 76ers’ Ben Simmons and the Houston Rockets’ John Wall. Until recently, the Detroit Pistons have not been involved in any discussions with either of the all-star point guards.
There is speculation that the Pistons could be the ‘mystery’ team that made an offer to the Sixers for the disgruntled three time All-Star. But it was not based on any report Detroit had directly shown interest, merely a guessing game.
However, a more substantial report surfaced recently linking Detroit, by name, with John Wall, from Sirius XM Radio’s Mitch Lawrence. .
The Rockets have been fielding offers for John Wall, including from the Clippers, Heat and Pistons, per sources. After taking a major PR hit for the James Harden trade, the Rockets aren’t rushing into any deal. One Houston exec: “We have to win this trade.’’
— Mitch Lawrence (@Mitch_Lawrence) September 14, 2021
To say this is out of left-field, is to put it mildly.
Simmons might be controversial, and certainly has his well-known limitations, but he is a 25-year-old, three-time All-Star and was second in voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Even if you disagree with adding Simmons to Detroit’s roster, at least you can see the reasoning behind it.
Getting Simmons is not some crazy idea. John Wall on the hand ….
Wall to Detroit? That is a little tougher to comprehend. Now, unlike the situation with James Harden last year, Wall and the Rockets are not fighting with one other. There is simply no reason for a 31-year-old with a long history of injuries to be on a young, rebuilding team.