The Dallas Mavericks made a splash ahead of the 2022 NBA Draft, acquiring Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets for what amounted to a draft pick and salary filler. Wood was expected to help fill the void in the frontcourt left by Kristaps Porzingis being traded to the Washington Wizards, and he has certainly done his part.
Wood is averaging 17.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 blocks in only 27.2 minutes per game. That is where the problem lies when it comes to Wood, as there is really no reason that he shouldn’t be in the starting lineup or receiving more playing time.
Desperate to take some pressure off of Luka Doncic as the only source of offense, Wood has shown that he is more than capable of being a lead option. His defense leaves a little to be desired, but the impact that he can have scoring the ball should more than offset that when surrounded by strong defenders.
Given how Wood is being deployed by the Mavericks currently, teams around the league are wondering if he will be made available for trade in the near future. Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report shared the update.
“Rival teams have begun monitoring what the Dallas Mavericks intend to do with center Christian Wood. Dallas has yet to show any indication that he has been made available for a trade, but some teams believe that could change soon.
The 27-year-old veteran is playing on an expiring contract and will be extension-eligible Dec. 24. He’d be eligible for a four-year, $77 million extension. The fit in Dallas hasn’t been the most fruitful, and Wood has publicly and privately petitioned for a bigger role.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Christian Wood & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Wood has been a consummate professional when asked about his role. As Haynes noted, Wood has spoken about his desire to play more, but he is willing to do whatever is asked of him by the coaching staff. He has also admitted that nothing is ever said to him about how much he will be used in the second half of games.
That certainly paints a picture of a team and player that aren’t on the same page. A long-term relationship between the two seems unlikely at this time, so it would not be surprising if the Mavericks eventually start making calls to see what kind of value Wood has around the NBA.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Christian Wood & Dallas Mavericks Updates
Currently 16-16 and barely holding onto a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament in the Western Conference, Dallas could look to shake things up soon. Without many assets to build a trade package with, they could dangle Wood as a trade chip and see what kind of pieces they can get back in return for him.
