John Wall Bradley Beal Wizards
John Wall #2 and Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards talk during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Capital One Arena on December 13, 2017 in Washington, DC. Rob Carr/Getty Images

The Washington Wizards are at least open to the possibility of breaking up their star backcourt, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. If the latest betting odds mean anything, John Wall could be playing for another team before the 2018-2019 NBA season is over.

Washington is given better than 1/2 odds to deal their starting point guard by the Feb. 7 trade deadline. The Wizards could reportedly listen to offers for shooting guard Bradley Beal, as well.

Owning one of the NBA’s most talented and highest-paid backcourts hasn’t resulted in much success for Washington. The Wizards have won between 41 and 49 games in each of the last five seasons, never reaching the conference finals. After a slow start this season, Washington’s 5-11 record has them three games out of the playoff race, making them an early candidate to tear down the roster.

Doing that will be easier said than done, especially when it comes to trading Wall. The point guard is set to make close to $170 million over four years after this season. The former No.1 overall draft pick will be 29 years old at the start of the 2019-2020 season.

Shortly after it was reported that any Washington player could probably be traded for the right price, news of a verbal altercation in practice between Wall and Wizards’ head coach Scott Brooks surfaced.


Wall isn’t completely untradeable after being selected to five straight All-Star teams. He’s averaged no worse than 17.6 points and 7.6 assists per game in each of the last six seasons.

Beal became Wall’s first teammate to make the All-Star Game last year. The former No.3 overall pick has far more value than Wall on the trade market since he’s three years younger and much cheaper. Beal is owed around $55.8 million total in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons before hitting free agency.

If Washington decides to make a trade, it likely won’t happen anytime soon. Free agents that signed new contracts in the offseason can’t be traded until Dec. 15.

Wall is averaging 20.9 points, 7.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1 percent from the field. Beal is averaging 21.5 points in 16 games, though he’s shooting a career-low 33.9 percent from three-point range.

RELATED STORIES
ESPN+