John Wall is the backbone of the Washington Wizards and they’ll go as far as he takes them.
But, for the Wizards to have any real success, he’ll need to continue growing as a player and, if true, this report, via The Ringer’s Kevin O’ Connor, lies in the face of all of that.
John Wall recently said he and Bradley Beal “have a tendency to dislike each other,” which is a strange thing to publicly admit. The Wizards’ chemistry issues are apparent, and it’s not like Wall said they actually hate each other, but an inclination to get agitated is not out of his character. Wall is known to keep a close eye on what other players are making, and the paper tossed around this summer has reportedly irked him. One league source familiar with Wall’s state of mind simply put it this way: “Wall’s got jealousy issues. He’s always upset with someone who makes more money than him.” A lot of players will make more money than Wall this year. He signed a five-year, $84.8 million deal in 2013, which looks like chump change now.
O’Connor continues about how Wall pays attention to other player’s endorsement deals and the side money they get. Not really that big of an offense, however; allowing it to affect his play & attitude is a problem:
Wall has previously expressed displeasure over the fact that Reggie Jackson received a similar deal. Then, last August, James Harden signed an incentive-laden 13-year, $200 million shoe deal with Adidas, while the company offered Wall a deal worth only $7.5 million annually. According to The Vertical, Wall declined the offer because he wanted “Harden money.” A few months later, Wall fired his agent, Dan Fegan, and hired Rich Paul. Maybe Adidas is second-guessing their decision after seeing Harden’s shoe design, but in any case, that’s not the only time Wall has been irked by The Beard. A front-office executive tells The Ringer that Wall was “rankled” after Harden signed a four-year, $118 million extension with the Rockets.
The Wizards haven’t exactly done a good job of stockpiling great talent around Wall, so it’s hard to take him to task too much. Also there are a lot of “sources”, but no one reached out to Wall himself and you know never know if the sources have an agenda.
Is it a rival GM hoping that the Wizards trade him or someone in Beal’s camp leaking false info?
No one knows, we reached out to Wall for comment, but so far he just released this tweet.
I have every reason to smile, It's time to shine….. Bless and Thankful !! #5Deep #WallWay #BYB pic.twitter.com/ykJmqdMJVK
— John Wall (@JohnWall) August 25, 2016
