Luka Doncic will reportedly have one other three-point threat to pass to next season.
Based on multiple reports, the Dallas Mavericks have acquired center Christian Wood in a cope with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets are reportedly sending Wood to the Mavericks in exchange for Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and the No. 26 pick within the 2022 NBA Draft.
Dallas may also include Sterling Brown within the deal, source said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 16, 2022
Here’s all that you must know concerning the deal.
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Mavericks-Rockets NBA trade details
- Mavericks receive: Christian Wood
- Rockets receive: Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, 2022 first-round pick (No. 26 overall)
After a surprising postseason run that saw them make it to the Western Conference Finals, the Mavericks need to remain a significant player within the West with the acquisition of Wood.
The 26-year-old, 6-foot-11 big man averaged a double-double last season, with averages of 17.9 points and 10.1 rebounds in 30.8 minutes a game with the Rockets. Wood is a legitimate stretch 4 as he shot 39 percent from three on 4.9 attempts a game last season.
With Wood reportedly on their roster, the Mavericks now have one more 3-point threat that may fit perfectly with coach Jason Kidd’s five-out offensive schemes, which has created space for Doncic to operate and create Luka magic.
Defense, nevertheless, is not Wood’s strong suit as he is not powerful enough to bang with centers down low and is not quick enough to maintain up with agile power forwards. Yet Kidd was capable of whip Dallas right into a top defensive team in his first season and maybe being in a more accountable system will force Wood to make strides on the defensive end of the ground.
Plus for the Mavericks, this reported trade helped to clear up room on their roster as they were capable of offload non-rotational players and get a talented yet flawed player back in return.
For the Rockets, in line with ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, the reported deal allows Houston to offer more playing time to rising forward Alperen Sengun and draft a potentially impactful big in Paolo Banchero or Chet Holmgren with the No. 3 overall pick within the 2022 NBA Draft.
Rockets were trying to move Christian Wood to clear playing time for Alperen Sengun and certain the No. 3 overall pick, whether that’s Paolo Banchero or Chet Holmgren. They pounced on likelihood to accumulate a first-round pick (and no long-term salary) in the method.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 16, 2022
From a salary standpoint, Wood is on an expiring deal and the entire players the Mavericks traded to the Rockets are also on expiring deals. So essentially, each teams were capable of make a deal without having so as to add on any long-term salaries.
Mavericks’ potential starting lineup
With the reported addition of Wood, Dallas could start a really formidable starting lineup and have significant depth on their bench. After all, it stays to be seen if Dallas re-signs versatile combo guard Jalen Brunson but in the event that they do retain his services, here’s a have a look at potential starters and key players for the Mavericks next season:
- Luka Doncic
- Reggie Bullock
- Dorian Finney-Smith
- Christian Wood
- Dwight Powell
- Sixth man: Jalen Brunson
- Key reserves: Spencer Dinwiddie, Maxi Kleber, Tim Hardaway Jr.
On paper, Wood may not seem to maneuver the needle that much for the Mavericks. But with the continued superstar growth of Doncic, the sky is the limit for the Mavs and Wood has the skillset that can assist support the All-Star guard’s game and at the identical time, keep Dallas within the upper echelon of the Western Conference.
