Washington Wizards owner Ted Leonsis said during a press conference on Monday that John Wall "probably won't play next season" as he continues to rehab from Achilles tendon surgery.
Back in February, the Wizards announced that their point guard would be out of basketball for at least a full year after rupturing his Achilles while slipping and falling at his house -- worsening an initial injury he had suffered at the end of December.
Wizards guard John Wall will undergo surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon. The procedure, which has yet to be scheduled, will be performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay, WI. Wall is expected to return to full basketball activity in approximately 12 months from the time of the surgery.
Wall had developed an infection in the incision from initial surgery on Jan. 8 (a debridement and repair of a Haglund's deformity and a chronic Achilles tendon injury in his left heel that was also performed by Dr. Anderson) and he suffered the rupture after slipping and falling in his home. The rupture was diagnosed by Wizards Director of Medical Services and Orthopedist Dr. Wiemi Douoguih during a procedure to clean out the infection.
Wall had been sidelined since Dec. 26 due to his Achilles injury. He initially underwent surgery on Jan. 8 for what the Wizards described as "debridement and repair of a Haglund's deformity and a chronic Achilles tendon injury in his left heel." The reason for the longer recovery timetable is due to this latest occurrence which saw Wall slip and fall at his home.
This is not only devastating for the Wizards considering he's the face of their franchise -- but because next season is the first year of the four-year max contract extension he had previously signed worth $171 million.
With this injury taking place, it's going to be near impossible to trade Wall now and in the future. Not only will this injury take more than a year away from Wall's career, he may not be the same type of player upon his return considering athletes coming back from Achilles injuries are never really the same again.
The 28-year-old Wall averaged 20.7 points and 8.6 assists last season. He holds career averages of 19.0 points and 9.2 assists and is also a former All-NBA selection and former All-NBA Defensive second-team selection.