John Wall trade bombshell: What it means for Fantasy NBA drafts

Some pretty big news came out today in Houston - John Wall won’t be playing for the Rockets again.

Wall came across in a deal for Russell Westbrook last offseason but struggled as he returned from a torn Achilles.

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We don’t know where he will end up. Reports say the Rockets won’t be buying out Wall’s contract, which pays him over $90m over the next two seasons and will be working to get him a trade to a new team.

Finding the matching salary to achieve that could be tough, so I wouldn’t be holding my breath waiting for Wall to find a new trade without a buyout.

So is John Wall worth drafting in Fantasy?

For fantasy basketball, I would not be drafting Wall at this point.

We don’t know where he is going or when he will go there. Rumours suggest the Clippers, Pistons, and Heat are looking at Wall.

If he went to LA, there could be value, starting over Reggie Jackson and he may get the starting spot in Detroit over Killian Hayes, although, why Detroit would even entertain this is beyond me.

If Wall was to land in Miami, he surely would be coming off the bench behind Kyle Lowry, sharing the court a little, but not enough to have him as draftable.

We will cross the John Wall fantasy bridge when we come to it and we find out where he goes.

What does it mean for Kevin Porter Jr's Fantasy value?

With Wall gone, there is a giant hole in the Rockets rotation. Last season, Kevin Porter Jr. struggled when he played next to Wall.

However, when he played point guard with no Wall, he ramped up his production.

Porter is the starting point guard and is someone to look at inside the top 50 of fantasy drafts now and if he made it into the top 30, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise.

So, Porter gets a large bump for fantasy.

Where should we draft rookie Jalen Green in Fantasy?

Jalen Green will now start at shooting guard versus small forward where he was slated before Wall’s decision.

Green will take on a high usage rate as well as a little bit more ball handling. This pushes Green higher in drafts.

It can be a risk drafting rookies, but Green is a clear top 90 player and could be a top 75 guy now.

Why Christian Wood could now be a Top 30 Fantasy player

Another huge winner is Christian Wood. Not because he gets more minutes, but now Wood becomes probably the number one option on offence.

If you wanted to take Wood in the top 30, I wouldn’t blame you. Wood finished 34th last season.

I expect Jae’Sean Tate to fill in Wall’s starting spot, shifting up to small forward.

The Rockets could go with Kenyon Martin Jr., Eric Gordon, or Danuel House Jr., but House and Gordon are old and not a part of the future, while Martin is more of a four.

Still, I expect Tate, House, and Martin to all get bumps in their value this season. Tate moves from an undraftable guy into a top 110 type of option in Yahoo standard points leagues.

Alperen Şengün might be worth a late pick in Fantasy

Another player to watch now is Alperen Şengün.

I hope that the Rockets start Şengün over Daniel Theis at some point, but regardless, there are more minutes available with Tate playing more at the three than he would’ve been before this development.

If Şengün can get to 25 minutes, he will be worth taking a flier on as a last pick in a draft.

The Wall situation is yet to be fully resolved, but at least we know he won’t be in Houston.

Things can change if he is traded and players come back, but Porter and Green are the backcourt of the future and more importantly the present so they are locked in.

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