Keep An Eye On Christian Wood

Moving down the line, Christian Wood continues to be a name brought up in trade rumors as well heading towards the NBA Trade Deadline. In his second season with the Rockets, Wood has turned himself into a breakout star in the frontcourt and unlike Eric Gordon, he has one of the most favorable contracts in the league. 

Making $13.6M this season and then $14.3M next season before becoming an unrestricted free agent, Christian Wood has outplayed the value set on his contract and is expected to see a raise when his contract expires. 

Since joining the Rockets ahead of last season, Wood has averaged 19.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and has shot 49.9% from the floor, 36.5% from three-point range. Being able to do a little bit of everything and being just 26-years-old, Christian Wood has solidified himself as one of the best trade targets this season. 

The Rockets though have not made Wood available in trade talks and are not necessarily interested in moving on from him. According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the Rockets are “willing to listen to offers” for their big man, but are not eager to trade him away. 

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Capitalizing on Wood’s value right now while it is at a peak is definitely something that could bring a grand return in trade value to Houston and now may not be a terrible time to trade Christian Wood either since he will be entering the final year of his contract. 

With Kevin Porter Jr. and Jae’Sean Tate getting close to the ends of their contracts as well, the Rockets could wind up running into a financial problem should they opt to keep Christian Wood on a three-year or four-year deal worth between $70M-$80M in total.