3. John Wall
Alarm bells may be ringing in the Wizards’ front office this summer.
Entering his eighth season in the league, Wall is eligible for a “supermax” contract, one the Wizards have offered him. But at this stage, Wall is non-committal.
The Wizards recently illustrated their desire to compete by matching the four-year, $106 million offer sheet made by the Brooklyn Nets to forward Otto Porter.
The Wizards completed their most successful regular season since 1979, and reached the second round of the playoffs for the third time in four seasons. But despite the clear ascension within the team under new head coach Scott Brooks, Wall cannot guarantee anything at present.
When asked if he had made a decision regarding his future, Wall responded:
"“Not yet. Everybody knows where I want to be. …We’ve been in the same position over and over….We got to improve. Everybody has to improve every year. I got to improve and be in better shape and condition to be able to close out games so I won’t be fatigued.”"
In a further note, and something that can’t hurt any possible pursuits by the Heat, Wall outlaid his workout plans for the rest of the summer while speaking from Las Vegas Summer League:
"“I’ll go to L.A. and workout again, and then I’ll be moving to Miami for the rest of the summer, and I’ll be working out there.”"
While it doesn’t necessarily mean anything moving forward, the fact that Wall is basing himself in Miami for an extended period clearly indicates an affinity for the city.
Furthermore, as the face of the franchise, and one of the most dynamic players in the game, the following comments don’t quite represent someone keen on committing for the long haul:
John Wall on his contract ext: "I'm just chillin....it's a big decision." Wall went on to express his love for Washington @1340AMFOXSports pic.twitter.com/sc8tLSBvAk
— Joshua Alfonzo Vinson (@TheJoshAVinson) July 10, 2017
Still just 26, in his prime, and already a four-time All-Star, Wall would automatically make any team better. But formulating a suitable proposition for the Wizards is bound to be complicated.
The proposed deal would ensure the Wizards still remained highly competitive, with a forward combination of Porter and Justise Winslow providing a terrific combination of athleticism, particularly at the defensive end. Dragic, meanwhile, assumes the main ball handling role, while Tyler Johnson shores up a very creaky Wizards bench.
The Heat land themselves a top-shelf point guard,and a player who other stars will gravitate towards and wish to play alongside. Especially when you add the South Beach factor into the equation.