“I told everyone that when John was coming off his rookie contract, we would sign him and he would be our bedrock player,” Leonsis said, then referenced Caps players. “I told everyone when Alex Ovechkin and Nick Backstrom” had similar contract extensions. “I told everybody that we would keep Bradley Beal, and already everyone is talking about the [Wall] extension,” Leonsis continued. “So my prediction is John Wall will sign his extension. He wants to be here, and my goal is to have no drama.”
More on John Wall Extension
Jeff Zillgitt: Re: John Wall extension offered by Wizards, it was a good-faith, respect gesture the minute they could give him designated vet extension. Even if Wall declines the extension, Wizards are prepared to offer max deal each time they can for Wall.
David Aldridge: Wall’s not unhappy; he wants to see how Wiz improve roster & if league revenues grow in new ways. He likes org/city & respects ownership..
David Aldridge: Wall’s not unhappy; he wants to see how Wiz improve roster & if league revenues grow in new ways. He likes org/city & respects ownership..
The Washington Wizards have offered John Wall a four-year contract extension for roughly $170 million but Wall will take some time to consider the offer, sources told ESPN.
Wall will sit down and discuss the offer with his agent and family over the next week as he considers whether to accept. Wall has two years and $37 million left on his contract, this deal would lock him in with the Wizards until 2022-23. With a decision that could affect the rest of his prime years, Wall is taking a measured approach and will spend time vetting the decision.
The Wizards have no intention of letting Porter walk, but they’ll have to overpay to keep him. Even if Porter accepts a deal in the range of what Beal makes over five seasons (the Wizards can give him one more year than other teams, so he would make five years and about $115-120 million in that case), the team will be setting itself up to pay its top three players $65-70 million per year. That number will spike when Wall gets an extension.
The Wizards haven't reached out to John Wall yet, but they expect to discuss an extension this summer with the four-time All-Star since he was named to the All-NBA for the first time in his seven-year career.
An extension with Wall will be the top priority of the offseason in which Otto Porter is also a restricted free agent, league sources tell CSNmidatlantic.com.
From league sources close to the situation, Wall wants to see a bigger picture plan on where the franchise is headed before committing for longer. The Wizards won 49 games this season and advanced to the conference semifinals for the third time in four years.
After the collective bargaining agreement was renegotiated and approved earlier this year, a Designated Veteran Player Extension was added. It's another mechanism to help teams retain their own free agents because they can offer significantly more money -- and an extra year -- than another team that doesn't hold his Bird rights.
In January, Wall signed with agent Rich Paul, who under the old CBA had negotiated hefty deals for clients who have not reached Wall’s status, among them Eric Bledsoe (five years, $70 million with the Phoenix Suns) and Tristan Thompson (five years, $82 million with the Cleveland Cavaliers). When his time comes, Wall will merit a sizable contract — and if an NBA honor activates the option of a designated veteran extension, then all the better. “I just look past it and try to play the game,” Wall said. “Be the best I can and help my team and try to make the playoffs. If it happens, it happens. But it would be a great honor to be able to get a bigger extension with those things involved into it.”
