Mavericks’ Christian Wood Trade Buzz is growing

The Dallas Mavericks impressed leading up to 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 frontcourt void left by Kristaps Porzingis being traded to the Washington Wizards, and he certainly did his part.

Wood averages 17.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.7 blocks in just 27.2 minutes per game. That’s where the problem is when it comes to Wood, because there’s really no reason why he shouldn’t be in the starting line-up or get more playing time.

Desperate to take some pressure off Luka Doncic as the sole source of attack, Wood has shown he is more than capable of being a leading option. His defense leaves a little to be desired, but the impact he can make scoring the ball should more than compensate for that when surrounded by strong defenders.

Given how Wood is currently deployed by the Mavericks, teams across 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 started following what the Dallas Mavericks plan to do with center Christian Wood. Dallas has yet to have any indication that he has been made available for a trade, but some teams believe that could change soon.

The 27-year-old veteran plays with an expiring contract and is eligible for an extension on December 24. He would be eligible for a four-year, $77 million extension. The Dallas attack wasn’t the most fruitful, and Wood has been petitioning publicly and privately 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 of his desire to play more, but is willing to do whatever the coaching staff asks of him. He has also admitted that he was never told about how much he will be used in the second half of games.

That certainly paints a picture of a team and player who are not on the same page. A long-term relationship between the two seems unlikely at this point, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Mavericks eventually start calling to see what value Wood has in 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 shake things up soon. Without a lot of assets to build a trading pack with, they could dangle Wood as a trading chip and see what kind of pieces they can get back in exchange for him.