The End of an Era in D.C.: John Wall traded to Houston

It’s officially the end of an era for John Wall and the Washington Wizards

On May 18, 2010, before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the “Big 3” Boston Celtics and the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic, the Washington Wizards finally caught a break.

After a disastrous season where an all-in move blew up in their faces, a (former) star player continued an unimaginable fall from grace, and two other trades signified the end of an era, the sad-sack franchise was gifted a lifeline by winning the draft lottery – and thus the opportunity to land John Wall.

It took time, but Wall put D.C. basketball back on the map. He dazzled in the open-court. He orchestrated the pick-and-roll like few others. He brought the competitive fire night-in and night-out. He got Trevor Ariza, Otto Porter Jr., Martell Webster, and countless other shooters paid. He and Bradley Beal always punched above their weight come playoff time, even evoking the attention of LeBron James and the mighty Eastern Conference power Cleveland Cavaliers. He lifted the entire city on his back.

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And from Day 1, John Wall embraced the community. Every year his foundation would donate backpacks and school supplies to local children, just to name one example. During the pandemic, he picked up rent payments for the residents of the District’s Ward 8. While his “no comment” response to trade rumors last week made waves nationally, he was actually at an event delivering hot meals to D.C. families – a detail that didn’t make the headlines.

He didn’t just give back, though. Wall truly embodied the city; he actually meant something to people.

Wall lifted this franchise out from the ether and towards respectability. But at the end of the day, the same factors that have doomed Washington professional basketball since the 1970s were too much to overcome. The parallels to Gilbert Arenas a decade earlier were striking. Only a very select group of superstars can elevate an organization to championship contention despite their circumstances.

The beginning of the John Wall era in D.C. also coincided with the purchase of the team by Ted Leonsis from the late Abe Pollin.

From retaining general manager Ernie Grunfeld for too long to declaring Wall/Andray Blatche/Jordan Crawford as the new “big three,” to mandating playoff chases at the expense of a long-term vision, it’s clear that Leonsis has never been up to snuff as the owner of the Wizards. He’s always just seemed to care more about the hockey team.

As a result, Wall was always saddled with carrying the deadweight of a fraught organization during his 10-year run in D.C. The rosters were usually solid, yet imbalanced and shallow thanks to the mishaps of Grunfeld – particularly the 2011 Draft and the offseason signings of 2016  – and being behind the curve in investing in a G-league affiliate.

Wall has never played for a competent head coach. In perhaps the biggest game of his career, Scott Brooks trotted out Ian Mahinmi and Jason Smith at the same time. Wall had a checkered injury history even before the torn Achilles, thanks to years of overuse and negligence by multiple different training staffs.

It’s a shame that the John Wall-led Wizards never broke through the glass ceiling of the second-round, and ultimately won’t be viewed favorably in the annals of NBA history. But Wall himself isn’t blameless here, either. An off-ball game never materialized; he never really adapted in a way to fit the direction the league was heading.

Some of his off-court decisions were….questionable…and we didn’t ever see him in peak conditioning. The downfall unfolded seemingly right in front of our very eyes, beginning with the 2017-18 season. Maybe things would have gone differently with another franchise, but not the Washington Wizards.

The Wizards were never going to become serious contenders had they let the Wall/Beal backcourt fully run its course. The young talent on the roster just doesn’t have the kind of upside to give the duo the boost it would need, even if Wall were to somehow re-discover most of his old self. The rational thing would be to trade Beal, especially after seeing the Milwaukee-Jrue Holiday package.

But nobody has the stomach for a lengthy rebuild. At least with John Wall you still had the history and a storyline; nostalgia is a powerful drug, even if it isn’t rational. With Russell Westbrook on the other hand, you’re just delaying the inevitable.

The team is going to stay mediocre, no matter how many times he tries to ram himself through the wall. Beal is going to realize this eventually, and then the Wizards will end up at exactly the same place they were before John Wall arrived in D.C. The ending just doesn’t feel quite right, but such is life.