It has been never a secret that John Wall was never part of the Houston Rockets' future since the team traded Russell Westbrook for him in December 2020.

The fact that the Washington Wizards had to add four (protected) first-round draft picks to convince the Rockets to accept Wall already proved that he is a negative asset. The peaceful parting agreement he reached with the Rockets was worth praising, but hardly made it any easier for the team to get rid of him.

So, what's standing in the way of a 31-year-old five-time NBA All-Star point guard finding a new team to play for?

First, it's his big contract. Wall still has two years left of his current deal and they are worth $91.7 million (player option in 2022 summer). His salary of $44.3 million for the 2021-22 season is the second-highest in the league, only next to the $45.8 million of Stephen Curry, more than what James Harden, Kevin Durant and LeBron James are paid.

Wall averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists and 2.0 triples at 31.7 percent in 40 games last season. He did not play at all in the 2019-20 season due to injury. The same problem cost him 50 and 41 games respectively in the previous two seasons and took away Wall's biggest weapon, his speed which enabled him to finish 40-yard dash at 4.35 seconds. Moreover, Wall has never been a reliable shooter – either for catch-and-shoot or shoot off the dribble – since he joined the NBA in 2010. 2020-21 was already his most productive season at the 3-point line where he buried two shots per game, but at only 31.7 percent.

So it's safe to say that Wall's contribution today to his team can't match the money they pay him. A buyout does not sound likely either. For example, if Wall gives up $10 million and agrees to receive it for five years, that's over $16 million of dead space on the team's payroll for five years. It will deprive them of the ability to make any remarkable enhancements for a longer time than the rookie deal of a promising young man. No team will do that to themselves.

It can be argued that in the NBA, many things are overpriced, especially when you are in desperate need for it. So are there any teams willing to bet on Wall for their solution to the point guard position?

The Dallas Mavericks may be one. Luka Doncic is in the last years of his rookie deal and the team's bet on Kristaps Porzingis obviously failed. They need someone who can at least share the orchestrating burden with Doncic. Is it a good deal for Wall and Porzingis to switch sides?

The Rockets may not want that. Even if they keep Wall for another two seasons, they will still be able to clean huge salary space in 2023 summer when they will have no contract bigger than $10 million. Nonetheless, if the Rockets replace Wall with Porzingis, that's over $36 million of occupied space on their payroll for the 2023-24 season.

The Los Angeles Clippers are another team that is one piece of puzzle away from the champion squad. But their salaries are already exploding ($167.5), not to mention that Kawhi Leonard will not play this season. How ridiculously excellent will Paul George have to be to convince the Clippers' front office that it's worth to burn money landing Wall?

The Philadelphia 76ers also have their name related to Wall and they have a perfect trading match for Wall – Ben Simmons. But if you have been following trade rumors about Simmons, you should recall that the 76ers ask for an All-Star player and multiple (at least four) first-rounders in return.

Is Wall an All-Star? Absolutely no. Are the Rockets willing to give multiple first-rounders? According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, they don't even want to include one first-round pick in Wall trade.

One may also argue that there are teams in the league willing to swallow toxic contracts like the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Detroit Pistons. Unfortunately, there is a price for their help and it's too large for the Rockets to pay.

If the Thunder take in Wall, which they are totally capable of, they will create a $30+million trade exception for the Rockets. It remains unclear how many future draft picks it make take for the Thunder to agree to do so, but it's more than enough to clean the Rockets' bank account for first-rounders.

The Pistons won't be in any conversation with the Rockets because their salary space is already filled with dead money from buyout deals with Blake Griffin, Deandre Jordan and others.

Of course, if Wall agrees to promise to opt out of his last year of the deal, he will immediately become an attractive asset for trade. But what are the odds of having a 31-year-old former All-Star giving up $47.4 million?

For now, the Rockets will have to wait. Time is on their side since they just started rebuilding.