It’s not urgent, but the Washington Wizards would like to sign John Wall to a long-term contract extension before the season starts, according to J. Michael of CSN Washington. The team would be making sure their franchise player knows he’s wanted -- and that he doesn’t have the opportunity to go elsewhere.
John Wall, Wizards working on extension, according to report
John Wall is clearly the star in Washington and actually had the team playing near-.500 ball after his return from a knee injury last year. The Wizards want to ensure he sticks around for the near future by signing him to a contract extension.
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The top pick in the 2010 draft, Wall’s contract extends one more year, after which he’d hypothetically become a restricted free agent. But the Wizards want to make sure it never gets to that stage. They have until Oct. 30 to work on an extension before the season starts, after which they’d have to shelve negotiations until after the upcoming season.
Even without the fact that Wall seems very happy playing in Washington, the Wizards still have a huge advantage over any other team thanks to the CBA -- they’re able to offer him a maximum contract starting in the 2014-2015 season, and would have the opportunity to match any offer by another team on the free agent market next year -- but they’ll try to avoid those less-comfortable options and ink Wall now. Considering they have about two and a half months to pull it off, it seems likely they’ll be able to reach a deal with their star.
Wall only played 49 games last year, and although his team had no hope for playoff contention, he was great, and the team performed fine when he was in the lineup. The Wizards lost their first 12 games, and were a miserable 6-28 when Wall suited up for the first time after a knee injury. But they won 24 of their last 49 games -- they were 24-19 at one point, before ending the year on a six-game skid -- and looked relevant. Wall played like a No. 1 pick, averaging 18.5 points and 7.6 assists, notching 14 double-doubles and hitting 47 points in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Wizards have every reason to want to keep Wall running the show. Between him, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter, the Wizards backcourt features a top three pick from three of the last four drafts, with two players who have already proven themselves in the NBA. It’s a stretch to say the sky is the limit, but there’s no reason this team can’t be consistently relevant as that young core develops.
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