Would this trade make sense for the Houston Rockets?

There was initially a lot of excitement surrounding Christian Wood after he put together a breakout campaign with the Houston Rockets last season. Many viewed him as a long-term part of the team’s core as a result.

What seems to get lost in context a lot of times is that Wood initially joined the Rockets with a large part of the appeal being to play with James Harden. Obviously, Harden is long gone from Houston and now Wood is not competing for an NBA Finals run, he’s on the worst team in the Western Conference.

Wood is signed through just the 2022-23 season and then he will reach unrestricted free agency. With Alperen Sengun in the fold, does it even make sense for the Rockets to retain Wood long-term? Meanwhile, why would Wood want to stick around and wait for the team to improve?

The reality of the situation is that Wood is 26-years-old and there’s reasoning for ‘timelines’ when discussing players and teams. The Rockets simply do not align with his.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: These 3 Teams Could Pursue Trade For Rockets’ Christian Wood

Landing a few assets in exchange for Wood is what should be the goal. Wood isn’t a star player and isn’t going to command a massive haul. Getting suspended for having a bad attitude isn’t going to help his cause, either.