Wizards news: Complexities in John Wall's contract could make trade difficult this season

John Wall recently signed a massive extension with the Wizards, and some quirks in the deal could make it difficult to find a trade in the near future.

The culture appears to be in complete disarray in Washington, and what they plan to do with John Wall is one of the most interesting storylines in the NBA right now. Sitting in the cellar of the Eastern Conference at 2-7, the Washington Wizards could be looking to blow it up and essentially start from scratch.

If they decide to do that, trading John Wall seems to be one of their likely avenues, but as Zach Lowe of ESPN writes, it's not as simple as it seems. Wall's massive contract and a quirk in the deal involving his trade kicker could make it difficult for Washington to find potential suitors for the All-Star guard.

A Wall deal before July 1 is unlikely in part due to complexities surrounding his 15 percent trade kicker — believed to be the first trade kicker that would be spread over the length of a supermax contract. Trade kickers cannot lift a player's salary above his maximum in the year he is traded, meaning Wall's payout could shrink if the Wizards trade him in 2019-20 once he shifts onto his supermax deal — and perhaps close to $0 in that 2019-20 season, sources say.

If they trade him before then, they might owe him a giant lump sum, sources say. (Wall's 2018-19 salary of $19.2 million is well below his eligible maximum because he signed his current deal under a lower salary-cap figure.) None of this is 100 percent clear in the collective bargaining agreement, and it will need to be studied further if it proves relevant. Rises in salary cap at some point during the length of Wall's supermax could trigger further trade kicker payments to him.

We might be down to one plausible candidate to send Washington real value for Wall at some point over the next year-plus: Phoenix, run by an impatient owner, Robert Sarver, without a seasoned GM to check his most dangerous impulses.”

This could be a moot point if the Wizards don't want to trade away their dynamic point guard. It's not clear exactly how the finances would unfold in a trade deal involving Wall, but it is interesting that Lowe narrows the list of suitors down to one dysfunctional franchise.

It continues to feel like the Wizards are heading for some type of major change in the future. That could be any combination of firings or trades, but if it's John Wall they want to trade, it might be tougher than many think.