NBA off-season 2022: Dallas Mavericks acquire Christian Wood from Houston Rockets
The Dallas Mavericks have traded for Houston Rockets starting center Christian Wood in the first significant trade of the NBA 2022 off-season.
FollowThe Houston Rockets have traded Starting Center Christian Wood for Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, and the No. 26 pick to the Rockets for Christian Wood, according to NBA Insider. With a year left on Wood’s contract and the direction of the Rockets franchise, it was logical for the Rockets to trade the 26-year-old. The Rockets have been rebuilding since the NBA 2020-21 season start as the team looks to build around its young players. In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Rockets got Jalen Green with the second overall pick and Alpren Sengun with the 16th pick. With Center Alpren Sengun promising, the Rockets likely wanted to free up minutes at the center position by trading Wood. A 2022 first-round pick [No. 26] will also help the Rockets move forward.Â
Wood had a mixed stint with the Rockets. He joined the Rockets in 2020 when they had James Harden. However, Harden would leave the team less than a month into the season. Wood has had noticeable growing pains playing with a young team in the last couple of seasons. There have also been flashes of a great player. Wood has averaged 19.1 points per game in his two seasons with Houston, including a career-high 21.0 in the 2020-21 NBA season.
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Wood would be delighted to go from one of the worst teams in the league to the Western Conference Finalists led by elite playmaker Luka Doncic. The Mavericks made their first conference final in 11 years in 2021-22, and many believe this is just the beginning for the 23-year-old Luka Donic. The Mavericks traded big-man Kristaps Porzingis on the trade deadline for Spencer Dinwiddie and immediately improved. However, the lack of a quality big man was noticeable and exposed in the Conference Finals. Wood, who has yet to play a playoff game in his career, will hope to make a meaningful contribution to the Mavericks’ Playoffs runs in the coming seasons.
