Sacramento Kings Receive: G John Wall, 2023 First-Round Pick (BKN), 2026 First-Round Pick (BKN)
Houston Rockets Receive: G De’Aaron Fox, C Richaun Holmes
Any John Wall trade requires a team to overcome any fear of the unknown. He did not play professional basketball last season, and injuries have kept him from doing so for the better part of several years.
Wall is a career 32.3% three-point shooter: that’s 0.3% better than De’Aaron Fox’s average to date. The veteran Wall is also seven years older. Furthermore, his fit alongside Sabonis may be no better than Fox’s. Why would the Kings do this?
Well, for starters, they are the Kings. Organizational competence has not precisely been their MO for the past two decades. This trade also allows them some future flexibility. Wall is in the last season of a contract year. Between freeing cap space and acquiring draft capital, the team opens up the possibility of a big splash next offseason.
As for the Houston Rockets, they receive a certified floor general in this package. Three guard lineups featuring De’Aaron Fox, Porter Jr., and electrifying rookie Jalen Green may suffer defensively, but they’d be lethal in transition.
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Parting with two first-round picks stings, but the front office probably acquired so many Brooklyn picks with the intention of flipping them for an established star anyway. Meanwhile, Richaun Holmes is embroiled in legal issues. He’s contract fodder here: the Rockets would likely look to waive and stretch the troubled big man.
With the Kings turning their focus to the present, this deal itself feels like a stretch. Perhaps there’s a package that could improve their short-term outlook.
