Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks traded away three players that weren’t a part of their rotation throughout most of the 2021-22 regular season or playoffs for a center that averaged 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. That sounds pretty good, right?

It may not just be good, it may be great.

Wood has a lot of versatility on offense and will be a great upgrade over the center options the Mavericks deployed during the playoffs. He has motion shooting ability and can attack off the catch. Imagine that talent with Luka Doncic as his playmaker?

There have been some concerns with Wood’s effort level and behavior at times. With the Mavericks getting significant buy-in from their players under Jason Kidd and his coaching staff, there is infrastructure in place to make it work.

LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Dallas Mavericks Trade For Houston Rockets Center Christian Wood

The Mavericks still have all of the players they deployed in their playoff rotation without having to take on salary to make a center upgrade. That’s great execution from the front office even if the outcome of the trade doesn’t end up being the best-case scenario.

Grade: A-