So I may or may not already have pulled this gimmick for Stephen Strasburg, but I want to extend the idea to the man who has not even played one professional minute. Clearly the evaluation is different for Wall than Strasburg, as Pitching Jesus may already be the most valued commodity in baseball.
I am using the NBA trade value column that Sports Guy does for ESPN with one major tweak, I want to remove salary considerations. For those of you too lazy for the link, Bill Simmons creates a yearly list of the 40 most valuable trade commodities in the NBA and I am going to use his column to find the players the Wizards would consider trading John Wall for right now; I am shocked at how short the list of comparable players is.
Here is the list of guys that I think the Wizards would at least consider for the 19 year old Great Wall (with age and Sports Guy ranking in parentheses and in order listed by Sports Guy) after the jump:
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Blake Griffin (21 yrs, #23 in the trade value list) - The word was that Wall would have been the #1 pick over him if not for that pesky 1-and-done rule. The knee injury also isn't doing his stock any favors.
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Rajon Rondo (24 yrs, #16) - The Sports Guy list was created 4 months ago, and it is safe to say that Rondo has made a leap from #16.
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Tyreke Evans (20 yrs, #15) - An interesting case, as Wall appears to have more upside, but has not played a season in the NBA to prove himself like Tyke.
- Brooke Lopez (22 yrs , #14) - As valuable as PGs are, it is hard to overlook the 'big over small' adage, and Lopez is the best young center in the league behind Howard.
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Chris Bosh (26 yrs, #12) - This could bring some flack, but Bosh is a proven player with a good 6+ years left at an elite level. Wall has the chance to be the best player on a championship team, and although Bosh didn't win much in Canada, he is a certain #2 on a championship team.
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Deron Williams (25 yrs, #10) - This would be a no-brainer despite the 6 year age difference.
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Brandon Roy (25 yrs, #9) - The knee is a concern, but also a no-brainer.
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Derrick Rose (21 yrs, #8) - The most interesting comparison for me. Wall has more upside than Rose, and should turn out better, but Rose has proven himself over the past 2 seasons.
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Chris Paul (25 yrs, #7) - His stock has tumbled with the knee injury and play of Darren Collison. He is still ridiculous though.
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Carmelo Anthony (26 yrs, #6) - Maybe Wall's teammate in 2011, but another no brainer for the Wiz.
- Dwayne Wade (28 yrs, #4) - The oldest guy on my list. I just can't see the Wizards taking on a Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan when the Leonsis plan is to build through youth for long term success.
- Kevin Durant (21 yrs, #3) - He will move into the #2 spot this year and might be the 2nd best player in the league next year.
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Dwight Howard (24 yrs, #2) - Don't forget that he was almost the best player on a championship team a year ago.
- Lebron James (25 yrs, #1) - No comment needed.
After looking over that 14 man list, my #s 6-14 are no-brainers, except for Derrick Rose. I think the most comparable players in value are Rose, Evans, Bosh and Lopez. I personally would take Wall over Evans because of the upside, marketing ability, and Wall's relative unselfishness. Bosh I can't see because of age and lack of winning in Toronto; he needs to have a Lebron or Wade next to him, which is a huge indictment. I actually think Lopez and Rose are the closest comparables, although both have to be considered more valuable than Wall at this moment because of time spent in 'the association'.
I am trying my best not to be an absolute homer, but seeing Blake Griffin at #23 after his injury confirms that Wall is one of the top 20 or so most valuable commodities in the league right now, before even playing one minute. The scary part is that he could very easily move into the top-10 before the end of his first season. So tell what you think, did I miss anyone? Would you take Brooke Lopez or Derrick Rose for John Wall right now?