Christian Wood

Additionally, Houston reportedly will receive Sterling Brown, Trey Burke and Marquese Chriss in exchange for Wood.

The Rockets reportedly will send big man Christian Wood to Dallas in the trade. Wood is entering the final season of a three-year, $41 million contract. Wood, a fifth-year forward, averaged 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists over 68 games with Houston during the 2021-22 season.

According to multiple reports, the Dallas Mavericks acquired Christian Wood in a deal with the Houston Rockets.

With the reported addition of Wood, Dallas could start a very formidable starting lineup and have significant depth on their bench. Yet Kidd was able to whip Dallas into a top defensive team in his first season and perhaps being in a more accountable system will force Wood to make strides on the defensive end of the floor. So essentially, both teams were able to make a deal without having to add on any long-term salaries.

The Houston Rockets are sending Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal involving multiple players and draft picks, according to multiple reports.

His breakout started in an eight-game stint with the Pelicans in 2018-19, averaging 16.9 points. Wood is entering the final season of a three-year, $41 million contract. It is a major move for the Mavericks, after Wood averaged 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

Wood will enter the 2022-23 season in the final year of his three-year, $41 million guaranteed contract that he signed with the Rockets in 2020.

Dallas is sending Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and the No. 26 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft to the Houston Rockets in exchange for center Christian Wood, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. However, Wood will enter the 2022-23 season in the final year of his three-year, $41 million guaranteed contract that he signed with the Rockets in 2020. Now, the organization will work with four open slots while adding a center that is on an expiring contract. By unloading Marjanovic, Brown, Burke and Chirss, the Mavericks are freeing up $11.9 million in cap space. Head coach Jason Kidd couldn’t play him extended minutes, limiting him to an average of 13.2 minutes per game. Wood is apparently that player.

The Mavericks picked up big man Christian Wood from the Rockets, sending a host of bit-part players and a first-round draft pick to Houston in return. According ...

For both sides, the deal makes sense – every player involved is on a contract expiring at the end of the 2023 season, meaning the Rockets get a prized first-round pick with no long-term salary hit. Watch Golden State Warriors v Boston Celtics in The 2022 NBA Finals. Every Game LIVE with ESPN on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now > However, it is Wood’s seventh team in seven seasons in the league – having been at Philadelphia, Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Detroit and Houston. His defence has proven problematic at times, though Dallas coach Jason Kidd has rapidly improved the Mavericks in that regard. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds a game in just 20.7 minutes last season. Watch Golden State Warriors v Boston Celtics in The 2022 NBA Finals. Every Game LIVE with ESPN on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and Sterling Brown will all go to Houston.

If the Rockets had known what was coming, there's no way they would have signed Wood that offseason, and he just never really made sense on the roster given their new direction. When the Rockets signed Christian Wood prior to the 2020-21 season, it seemed like a nifty piece of business. Plus, they really didn't give up anything of note to get him, and he only has one year left on his deal. Now, at least, they've been able to flip him for an extra first-round pick. He is in the final year of a three-year, $41 million deal, and will be extension eligible six months after the trade is complete, should the Mavericks want to go down that route. That means the Mavericks will end up making the No. 26 pick for the Rockets, then trading that player as part of the trade.

The trade will now give Houston three first-round picks ahead of the draft on June 23.

It is unclear which players, if any, from Dallas will stick around, but adding another draft pick certainly motivated the team to move Wood now. Meanwhile, the Mavericks will add a productive frontcourt piece in Wood next season. They are operating under the impression that Paolo Banchero will fall to them and wanted to clear room for him in the frontcourt with Wood on an expiring contract next season.

The Houston Rockets just traded their leading scorer, Christian Wood, to the Dallas Mavericks. For some, this transaction may be surprising.

That means leaves Duke’s Paolo Banchero primed for a spot in Houston, and he warrants immediate minutes for the Rockets next season. They can potentially add some more talent outside the lottery, too. Auburn’s Jabari Smith and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren will likely go to Orlando and Oklahoma City with the first two picks. The organization clearly did not have much intention of re-signing him, so they were able to extract some value from his services rather than letting him walk for nothing. Even though Garuba did not get a ton of playing time last season, Sengun is clearly a focal point of Houston’s offensive identity moving forward. Wood, 26, is a versatile player who scores well as a rim runner and on pick and pop possessions.

The Dallas Mavericks, as they're wont to do, completed a rather out-of-nowhere trade on Wednesday night, acquiring big man Christian Wood from the Rockets ...

He’s a career 38% shooter from beyond the arc, and that stat is trending upward. During that stretch he shot 55.9% from the field and 40.6% from beyond the arc. Wood posted double-figure point totals in each of the last 16 games of the Pistons’ season. He bounced back and forth between the 76ers and G-League team Delaware 87ers in his rookie season, and signed with Charlotte the next year. Last season he averaged 17.9 PPG and 10.1 rebounds. He originally went undrafted in 2015 and joined up with the Rockets’ summer league team, eventually being signed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Detroit added a conditional first-round pick. In two seasons with the Rockets, Wood has averaged 19.1 points and just under 10 rebounds in 31.4 minutes per game. In Wood’s senior season they went 35-1. He put up 30, 22 and 32 points in the final three games before the shutdown. The final month-plus of the COVID-impacted 2019-20 season was certainly a factor in Wood locking in a multi-year deal with what was then a championship contender (in theory). A sign-and-trade to the Rockets followed after Wood agreed to a 3-year, $41-million deal (which he’ll be in the final year of with the Mavericks).

Picture this potential starting five for the Dallas Mavericks next season, Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dwight Powell and newcomer big man ...

The trade of Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets to Dallas Mavericks should free up minutes for second-year center Alperen Şengün.

The Rockets hold the third overall pick, and three names are currently circulated as the three possible candidates to go first overall. For Şengün's chances to become more solidified, Smith and Banchero would be easier players to fit next to him. And finally there's Paolo Banchero, primarily a four, but someone who should also be used at center for periods of time. That's not surprising given that Houston was one of the worst teams in the league this season, and he didn't play more than 20.7 minutes per game. While Şengün right now appears to have received a path towards more minutes next season, the 2022 NBA draft still has something to say about it. While not much of a shooter in Turkey (he took 21 in league play, hitting four), Şengün took 117 this season, hitting 29. While the Turk did display monstrous rates of turnovers (18.8 TOV%) and fouls (5.6 per 36 minutes), that's perfectly normal for any big man coming into the league. There's nothing to suggest Şengün has a set ceiling. While the Mavericks may have won the trade in terms of raw talent, there's another perspective that seems to fly under the radar. Moving off Wood allows for Alperen Şengün to step into a larger role for Houston next season, which should be a good thing. Particularly, the assists seem easy to overlook. Setting aside fans who are dedicated and invested NBA fans, Şengün hasn't yet established himself as a major name in the broader public eye.