The Los Angeles Clippers have this pesky habit of landing players who have, at one time or another, been linked to the rival Lakers. There are the two stars, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, who both spurned the Lakers as free agents. The Lakers pursued both Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum as free agents once the received buyouts. Both chose the Clippers. And, of course, there’s Ivica Zubac, a literal former Laker who found himself in Clipperland only through the mismanagement of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka.
But the rejuvenation of John Wall is looking especially frustrating to Lakers fans because he quite easily could have been wearing purple and gold on Thursday. After an entire offseason dominated by the discourse surrounding Russell Westbrook trades involving two first-round picks, it’s worth noting that the Lakers potentially could have dealt Westbrook last February for no more than a pick swap. Wall, already traded for Westbrook once in 2020, would have been the return. Depending on the construction of the trade, the Lakers could have retained both their 2027 and 2029 first-round picks to use in future deals.
That obviously isn’t how things played out. Wall remained in Houston after the 2022 deadline. The Rockets bought him out for no compensation in June. Despite being represented by Rich Paul and Klutch Sports, who currently have seven players on the Lakers roster, Wall chose the Clippers. And on Thursday, he looked every bit his old All-Star self. In 25 minutes off the bench, Wall scored 15 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Westbrook shot 0 of 11.
More importantly, Wall offered the Clippers the sort of pace-pushing floor general they’ve lacked for three years. The Clippers ranked 18th in fast-break points a season ago, and they were 26th in Leonard’s healthy 2020-21 season. The 16 he helped them score on Thursday would have ranked third a season ago. Couple that with some timely mid-range shooting, and the Clippers have seemingly found their ideal supporting point guard: a lightning-quick playmaker who won’t actively undermine their spacing.
It’s a fascinating contrast to the Lakers, who could certainly use a player like that, but have less room for luxury than the loaded Clippers. Had they acquired Wall at the deadline last season, they’d be paying him $47 million. The Clippers are paying him $6 million as a taxpayer mid-level signing. The cash matters. The cap matters more. With James, Davis and Wall taking up almost $130 million in payroll, they’d have the same issues in building a supporting cast as they did with Westbrook in place. It’s also worth noting that Westbrook is their only meaningful matching salary. If the Lakers wanted to make another major trade involving those two first-round picks while keeping Wall and offseason addition Patrick Beverley, they’d have been limited to just two non-minimum salaries: Lonnie Walker IV (not tradable until Dec. 15) and Kendrick Nunn.
Without the shooting that payroll flexibility and a trade involving those picks would have brought, it’s fair to wonder how effectively Wall could have played off James and Davis. The Clippers have limitless shooting, which maximizes Wall as a playmaker. The Lakers … do not. Wall himself shot 0 for 4 from deep on Thursday, and is a career 32.3 percent shooter from long range. He’s not quite the spacing disaster Westbrook is, but he’d likely struggle in an off-ball role next to James to a lesser extent. Helping his case is his superior catch-and-shoot history. He’s hovered around 38 percent on such looks since the NBA began tracking them in 2013.
There’s also the matter of risk to consider. Wall was wonderful on Thursday. He only played 25 minutes in a single game. That’s a far simpler task than starting for 82. Wall had played only 72 in total over the last four combined seasons, excluding this new one. The Clippers can afford an injury to a $6 million backup. The Lakers would be sunk with $47 million on the bench. It’s too early to tell how well Wall will hold up over a full season, or what a difference a seemingly enhanced role as a Laker would have on his body.
In this case, even hindsight isn’t 20/20. Wall likely would have been a good deal better than Westbrook for the Lakers. At the very least he’s never shot 0-of-11 from the field. But he would’ve deprived them of mid-season optionality on the trade market, and he’d have posed similar, if less extreme, problems. If given the chance to go back to last February and change their minds on a proposed Wall deal, the Lakers likely say no a second time.
Still, watching Wall thrive as a Clipper will invite second-guesses to that decision. The Lakers could have had Wall. The Clippers are extremely thankful that they don’t. In Thursday’s tight 103-97 Clippers victory, that might have been the difference.