John Wall says he doesn’t care about Beal and Harden’s contracts (video)
After being painted in a bad light all week, Washington Wizards guard John Wall has responded.
Earlier this week, Washington Wizards guard John Wall hinted at some on-court friction between himself and backcourt mate Bradley Beal. That was followed by an NBA agent saying the relationship between the two is worse than that, along with speculation that Wall is jealous about big contracts other players have signed.
Wall responded to the recent news surrounding him on Twitter Thursday, which he quickly deleted. But he followed with a video for Bleacher Report’s Uninterrupted Friday, and Wall left nothing open to interpretation.
.@JohnWall reacts to critics, clears the air: "Stop saying I'm watching money, I'm not."https://t.co/btkBBeF4re
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) August 26, 2016
Wall signed a five-year, $85 million deal in 2013, before the recent jump in the NBA’s salary camp and subsequent bump in player salaries. Beal signed a five-year deal worth a reported $128 million this offseason, despite missing significant time to injuries and never making an All-Star team.
Wall, on the other hand, is a three-time All-Star coming off the best individual season of his career (19.9 points, 10.2 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game).
Wall’s pointed response was only necessary because of his initial comments to CSN Mid-Atlantic. Everything else in the news this week has been rooted in that apparent discourse with Beal. For what it’s worth, Beal’s long-time shooting coach said he doesn’t think there’s a rift between the two.
The Wizards’ best season thus far with Wall and Beal as their best two players was in 2014-15, with a 46-36 regular season record and a second-round playoff exit. It’s abundantly clear the two have to figure out how to function better on the court, even if talk of a conflict is being overblown.
Related Story: 5 ways John Wall and Bradley Beal can repair their relationship
If Wall and Beal can’t fix any possible fracture in their relationship, the team will continue to underachieve or one of them will have to go. At least new head coach Scott Brooks has some experience dealing with star players.