The Curious Case of Christian Wood

By: Marselis Davis

This offseason saw the Dallas Mavericks make multiple signings and re-signings. Among these signings included Dwight Powell, Seth Curry, Grant Williams, Dante Exum and most notably, Kyrie Irving. However, there is one player who was absent amongst the Maverick’s handful of new contracts: Christian Wood.

Overview

Last offseason, the Mavericks traded Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and Wendell Moore to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Christian Wood. Wood was an undrafted player who had worked his way up to being one of the more well-known undrafted players in the NBA. The Mavericks likely made this trade for two main reasons. The first reason was to compensate for the loss of Jalen Brunson, who joined the Knicks during that offseason. The second reason was to find a big man that could play alongside Luka in a manner similar to Kristaps Porzingis.

By the end of the 2022-2023 season, it would appear that Wood played well in Dallas, despite the team missing the playoffs. Throughout the season, Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. He even averaged 37.6% from three, which is especially great for a big man. Despite his impressive-looking stats, the Mavericks have shown no intent to re-sign Wood at all. Why is this?

Problems with Christian Wood

While Wood’s stat line may look good on paper, they may not give the full picture of how he impacts winning basketball. While he is a talented player, Wood’s career has unfortunately carried a reputation of putting up empty stats, and that reputation has not been shaken much following this season. Wood’s impressive-looking stats are also accompanied by a high usage rate and very poor defense. Despite his 1.1 blocks per game this past season, Wood is a notoriously defensive liability. This certainly contributed to the major defensive issues that the Mavericks had during the 2023 season.

What’s Next for Wood?

Currently, it does not appear that there is a large market for Wood. So far, the Los Angeles Lakers have essentially been the only team to have a reported interest in acquiring him. The Lakers are in search of a backup center to improve upon their already great offseason, and Wood has been mentioned as a potential target for them. There is a good chance that the Mavericks may do a sign-and-trade with Wood in order to get some value back for him, and the Lakers would be the most likely team to participate in that trade, at least up to this point.

As the offseason continues, it will be interesting to see what becomes of Christian Wood. Despite his deficiencies, it is hard to imagine that no team in the NBA will seek to sign a 6-foot-9 center who can average over 16 points per game and shoot three-pointers. But one thing that appears certain is that the Mavericks are seeking to part ways with Wood. Still, the process of Wood’s departure remains a mystery.

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