John Wall Holds Private Workouts; 2 Teams Emerge as Frontrunners

Five-time All-Star John Wall, who has sat out two-and-a-half of the last four NBA seasons, is itching to get back into the league. He was busy on Sunday in Las Vegas, holding a private workout for five teams.  

Veteran point guard John Wall held a private workout on Sunday with multiple teams — including the Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers — in attendance. The five-time All-Star is ramping up efforts in hopes of a return to the NBA.

— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) July 9, 2023

According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers were in attendance, and both seem to be interested parties. 

The Celtics have an opening in the backcourt (maybe more than one) after shipping out Marcus Smart in the three-team Kristaps Porzingis deal. In addition, Malcolm Brogdon is recovering from a serious arm injury suffered during the playoffs. Wall could help fill a need in Beantown.

As for Portland, they're obviously in the midst of trying to trade their longtime All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, so perhaps in the absence of a suitable young replacement, Wall could plug a hole there in the interim. Interestingly, the Blazers were able to rehabilitate another aging former All-Star in Carmelo Anthony a few years back. 

The 32-year-old Wall caught on with the Los Angeles Clippers before last season after sitting out the entire 2021-22 campaign in a "difference of opinion", shall we say, with the Houston Rockets. He averaged 11.4 points with the Clippers but seemed to fall out of favor and was traded to the Rockets in February, who then immediately waived him. He's been out of the league ever since.

Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports