John Wall spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Washington Wizards. But in 2020, he was traded to the Houston Rockets in a deal for Russell Westbrook.
Now, Wall is looking back on his trade to the Rockets. What the hurt the most was just how badly he wanted to play and win with the Wizards, via The Pivot.
“I’m like damn,” Wall said. “This is a city where I want to play for one team, win a championship here… DC is all I’ve known since a kid, to be raised here.”
“I’m like damn… this is a city where I want to play for one team, win a championship here… DC is all I’ve known since a kid, to be raised here”
John Wall speaks on how he felt after being traded by the Washington Wizards 💔
(via @thepivot)
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 25, 2025
Expand Tweet
Wall only spent one season with the Rockets, appearing in 40 games. He’d then sit out the 2021-2022 season before playing one final year with the Los Angeles Clippers. But when fans and pundits think about Wall’s NBA career, he has become synonymous with the Wizards.
The point guard was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. It didn’t take long to make an impact, as Wall finish second in Rookie of the Year voting. Over his nine years with the Wizards, Wall was named an All-Star five times, being named to the All-Defensive team in 2014-2015 and All-NBA in 2016-2017. He averaged 19 points, 9.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game during his time in Washington.
The Wizards made the Eastern Conference semifinals three times during Wall’s tenure. But they never advanced further, and his trade took away any chance of Wall trying to lead the Wizards to the championship. He’ll always be grateful for his time in Washington. But there’ll always be a part of Wall that wonders what if?