Wells began his college career at Xavier, where he was an Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection. He was expelled in 2012 due to a "serious violation" of the code of student conduct after a female student alleged he committed sexual assault. Wells also was suspended by the NCAA for being involved in a huge fight after a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats in December 2011. A grand jury did not indict him for the assault, and Wells later sued the university for false accusation. The school was asked to hold off deciding their case until after the criminal case was settled and the prosecutor slammed the school for their The issue was settled out of court after a judge ruled the lawsuit could go forward to discovery. The NCAA waived the usual redshirt year requirement for Wells, making him eligible immediately at another university. He transferred to Maryland and led the team in scoring with 13.1 points per game as a sophomore. The team missed the NCAA Tournament despite defeating Duke twice. As a junior, Wells averaged 14.9 points per game for the Terrapins. Maryland again missed the NCAA Tournament. A wrist injury caused Wells to miss a month of games as a senior. Nevertheless, he scored 26 points and added seven rebounds and four assists in Maryland's 59-53 win over fifth-ranked Wisconsin. He was a First Team All-Big Ten selection. Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said Wells "was not going to let us lose." Wells's last collegiate game was against West Virginia in Columbus, Ohioin the Round of 32 of the 2015 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. He tallied nine points and eight turnovers in a 69-59 loss.
ESPN's Chad Ford considered Wells a potential second-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft, but he went undrafted. He also struggled dribbling with his left hand, which lowered his draft stock. He subsequently joined the Washington Wizards for the 2015 NBA Summer League. However, he was later ruled out of Summer League play due to thumb injury. On September 25, 2015, Wells signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, he was waived on October 22 after appearing in one preseason game. On November 3, he was acquired by the Oklahoma City Blue as an affiliate player from the Thunder. On November 14, he made his professional debut in a 110–104 loss to the Austin Spurs, recording 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. On March 31, he was waived by the Blue after suffering a season-ending injury.
In August 2019, Wells joined San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association for the East Asia Super League Terrific 12 and the PBA Governors' Cup. In his PBA debut, Wells had an impressive statline of 42 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a 130-119 win over Phoenix Fuelmasters.
Personal life
Wells is the son of Pamela Wells, who was an All-American basketball player at St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C. He has two sisters, Jocelyn Brand and Jazmine Wilson and majored in American Studies. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in American Studies on December 19, 2015.