Getty Houston Rockets point guard John Wall handles the ball during a game against the LA Clippers.
The chance to play with Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker has made the Phoenix Suns a top free-agent destination. They have made several notable pickups, including sharpshooter Yuta Watanabe and veteran guard Eric Gordon. Now amid the free agency period, Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated is urging the Suns to pursue five-time NBA All-Star John Wall.
“The Phoenix Suns are one of the best teams in the NBA and recently traded for three-time All-Star Bradley Beal. With Beal on the roster, the Suns now have a great core that also includes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton,” Stinar writes.
“In the trade for Beal, the Suns gave up future Hall of Famer Chris Paul, who had been their starting point guard for the previous three seasons. I believe the team should sign five-time NBA All-Star John Wall to replace Paul.”
John Wall Could Be ‘Helpful Facilitator’ for Suns
The Suns should be happy with the fact that they were able to land a player of Beal’s caliber, but the reality is that their decision came with ramifications. In trading for Beal, the Suns had to part ways with All-Star point guard Chris Paul and now find themselves without a true playmaker on their roster.
This is where Wall could be effective as the Suns’ starting point guard. For his career, he averages 8.9 assists per game. And with a wealth of offensive weapons in the Suns’ starting group, that number could be exponentially higher.
“The former first-overall pick is one of the best passers in the history of the NBA (8.9 APG). Last year, Wall played in 34 games for the Los Angeles Clippers and averaged 11.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per contest in 22.2 minutes of playing time,” Stinar said.
Wall is no longer in his prime after a myriad of injuries, so the days of him being a 20-point-per-game scorer are behind him. But with Booker, Durant, and Beal sharing the majority of the shots, Stinar says the Suns won’t need him to be that.
“He is no longer in his prime when he was among the top 25 players in the league, but Wall could still be a helpful facilitator. With the offensive talent on the Suns, there would be no need for him to be anything other than a playmaker who can set up his teammates,” Stinar added.
“In addition to the Clippers, Wall has also played for the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards over his 11 seasons in the NBA. The 32-year-old has career averages of 18.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per contest while shooting 43.0% from the field and 32.2% from the three-point range in 647 regular season games (he has also played in 37 NBA Playoff games).”
John Wall, Bradley Beal Backcourt Could Reunite on Suns
There is also an interesting wrinkle to the potential of the Suns signing Wall. It would reunite him with his former Washington Wizards co-star Bradley Beal. Wall and Beal were once upon a time one of the top duos in the Eastern Conference and came within one game of advancing to the 2018 conference finals if not for the heroics of Isaiah Thomas and the Boston Celtics.
Reuniting the two All-Star guards could equal instantaneous chemistry in the Suns’ backcourt. And having two other lethal scoring options in Durant and Booker would make stopping the Suns on offense a daunting task for opponents.
In addition, this late into the free agency period, and with limited cap space, the options for the Suns are pretty scarce. Wall is one of the best free agents on the market that they could realistically sign.