John Wall’s contract a maximum commitment from Wizards

OPINION:

Leaning against the back of John Wall’s corner locker is a framed photo of the Larry O’Brien trophy. Wall is not sure where it came from. He said it was sitting around the Washington Wizards locker room when he arrived as the speed-filled No. 1 pick of the 2010 draft. So, he grabbed it.

Wall dealt with scrutiny, expectation and losing then. The organization that selected him had a proclivity for volatility and losses. Their plans were ineffective. Their stars were erratic. The young men they banked on betrayed them in one way or another, bad jumpers or bad decisions undermining projections.

Not Wall. He has turned into an All-NBA player. His path from criticized rookie to four-time All-Star has taken place in Washington. He is rooted in the District, now and for the next six years. Wall agreed Friday to a “supermax” deal, a four-year, $170 million contract extension that will keep him in Washington until at least 2022. He holds a player option for 2023.

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis has decided in the last nine days to pay Wall and Otto Porter maximum contracts. He has committed roughly $403 million to Wall, Porter and Bradley Beal in the last 12 months. This is public confirmation of the plan. Draft, develop, pay. They tried it in in the past. That attempt was a broad failure. In the last year, they have anchored themselves to three assets after signing the one that mattered most. The other two don’t work nearly as well without the third, so a haul of cash was delivered to Wall.

A shirtless Wall held up a phone Friday night to dispatch a video with comments on the news. He said everyone knew where he wanted to be. Then, he proved it. But there was risk for him in not signing the offer this summer. If he did not make an All-NBA team again next season, the “supermax” possibility would slip away. Wall will be 27 next season. He had two knee surgeries last summer. Common sense trumped bravado here.

He and the Wizards will step into next season with a clear triumvirate. Beal, Porter and Wall are under contract to play together for the next four seasons. Beal and Porter still have room to improve. Wall is hovering at his peak.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference is quaking. Friday, news broke that Cleveland point guard Kyrie Irving wants to be traded. All-Star Paul George was sent out of the conference three weeks ago after being traded to Oklahoma City. Toronto has brought back its core. Boston brought in Gordon Hayward. If Irving leaves Cleveland for a modest package, LeBron James will again be toting a subpar roster into a fight with the conference’s contenders. This time, he will be 33 years old when the playoffs begin. Can age finally start its tug on his jersey?

In Washington, the Wizards will be locked into their young trio. Porter turned 24 on June 3. Beal turned 24 on June 28. Wall is the old head. He will be 32 when his contract is on its declining end. The Wizards’ logic works like this: Porter, a high-floor, low-ceiling player, has moderate room for improvement. Beal is expected to finally be an All-Star this season. Wall is the part that makes everything work, both border piece and an interlocking center chunk. When he slows, Beal and Porter will be asked to carry more of the weight.

No other team in the league has three homegrown players with maximum contracts on their roster, which makes this a rare bet centered on Wall. His on-court distribution, general moxy and local investment have convinced Leonsis that this is the man who can undo the Wizards’ extensive failing past. John with the sunglasses, as he’s known because of his blacked-out shades so often worn inside. John who talks to the kids. John who arrives with a driver to make a scene in the playoffs. John with the personal security. John who is too honest sometimes. John who plays in the postseason with a broken hand, who jumps on the scorer’s table to scream that this is his city. John who is introduced last as, “D.C.’s POINT GUARD!”

“He’s come so far,” a Wizards staffer said three years ago. She was citing his donations, both in cash and time, to the community. The organization has tried to slow Wall when he speaks in press conferences. He’s high-tempo at all times, chattering at the end of practices when participating in final shooting drills or when zooming up the floor with the ball. At practice, he glances up to see if the media noticed when he’s made several jump shots in a row. Smiles. Yells some more. He hits save when shaking his head at a list from an obscure outlet that does not name him the best. No disrespect, this is his personal belief, and if others do not share it, then that’s another lump of coal in the stove. Even now, at 26, well-paid, well-respected, local legacy becoming more clear, it’s these people who don’t understand that offer extra propulsion.

Friday night, the Wizards latched onto Wall more than ever before. Leonsis has repeated that this was their plan. That leaves out their wayward pursuit of Kevin Durant. It skips their Plan-B swipe at Al Horford last summer. But, it holds a form of truth. The Wizards have constructed from within. The foundation of their future is clear. Now, they have to live with what comes. That starts and ends, like before, with Wall.