Matt Modderno from the Bleav in Wizards podcast comes back to talk about the two-year extension for LeBron James plus the Four Year Extension for Anthony Davis and what this means for the Lakers moving forward. He also stops by to discuss the big trade between the Wizards and the Rockets with John Wall and a protected first-round draft pick headed to Houston and Washington receiving Russell Westbrook. He goes into depth on how the trade will affect both team’s playoff chances and we break down the favorites and potential surprises in the Eastern Conference on our latest Lakers Fast Break podcast!
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It’s honestly really hard to gauge this trade because we haven’t seen John Wall on a professional basketball court in 2 years. So, from that point of view, I would say the Wizards won the trade going away. They got the healthier player. Having said that, Wall and Harden are kind of a stellar fit if John is anything back to his old self (no guarantee given the injuries he’s sustained on that one).
Russ and Beal will be as good of a fit as Russ and James were, not perfect but totally workable. Wall isn’t an elite three point shooter so he’s not going to open up the floor for James to attack but will benefit from sharing the floor with Harden as it may help his game. If Houston sinks early the pressure to trade Harden, and possibly even John Wall, will escalate. Not sure how many expiring contracts they can dredge up to make that a viable rebuild option…lotta cash that may end up having to be moved.
I don’t see the Rockets trading Harden until closer to the Trade Deadline if the team is not performing well or if James is continuously not pleased with the direction of the organization.