NBA Rumors: Will John Wall Remain With the Washington Wizards for the Long Haul?
Wizards' majority owner Ted Leonsis recently predicted that Wall will sign the 'supermax' extension offered to him
John Wall was one of the NBA players who upped his stock significantly during the 2017 playoffs, leaving no doubt that he should be the face of the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards want that to be the case as well.
During a recent press conference that formally announced the re-signing of forward Otto Porter Jr., Wizards' majority owner Ted Leonsis shared his thoughts on what he thinks will happen between the franchise and Wall in the near future, the Washington Post's Candace Buckner reported.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Leonsis even offered a bold prediction.
According to Leonsis: "So my prediction is John Wall will sign his extension. He wants to be here and my goal is to have no drama."
The extension in question that Wall has yet to agree to and what the Wizards want him to sign is the so-called "supermax" extension. It is a lucrative offer, one that could send $170 million Wall's way over the course of four years.
Wall's current contract runs through the 2018-19 season, so were he to sign the "supermax" extension, it would not go into effect until after that.
On the surface, it may seem strange that Wall has opted not to sign that extension yet.
The Wizards are regarded as one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, one that could improve further with continued growth from young stars such as Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris, Kelly Oubre Jr., and the aforementioned Porter Jr.
Wall would be the driving force of that young core, the floor general responsible for getting everyone where they need to be and doing what they can to contribute to winning.
Still, as promising as that young core may be, it may not be good enough to really emerge as a threat for the NBA Championship.
After all, the Boston Celtics are in the same conference and they arguably have a better core, not to mention numerous assets that can be used to improve it in a hurry. The Cleveland Cavaliers are still there as well as the team that has represented the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals for three consecutive years.
It would not be unreasonable for Wall to look at this current iteration of the Wizards and see a core that is talented but perhaps ultimately incapable of toppling the real heavyweights.
If Wall does not think this Wizards roster can overcome the Celtics and Cavaliers, it would then be hard to blame him for thinking he may be better off competing elsewhere.
The Washington Wizards are waiting on John Wall's decision, and what he does could determine whether the future is bright or possibly bleak for the team.
