Dallas Mavericks

How much better is Dallas now? Is Houston done making moves? Kevin Pelton examines the Mavs' trade for big man Christian Wood.

Gordon was a good mentor for the team's young guards last season but might be rewarded for that service with a deal to a contender. The cost to the Mavericks is both a draft and financial hit. The Rockets have 15 players under guaranteed contract plus forward Jae'Sean Tate, who has a non-guaranteed team option and is sure to be back. This deal can't be completed until after the draft because the Mavericks already owe a protected 2023 first-rounder to the New York Knicks from the Porzingis trade. In fairness to Wood, we've never seen him in a defensive culture like the one the Mavericks enjoyed in Kidd's first season as coach. Doncic and Kleber were a particularly potent pick-and-pop pairing, and Wood can do the same. How well will Wood fit in Dallas as the Mavericks aim to build a sustainable contender around star Luka Doncic? And what's next for the Houston Rockets after dealing one of their few proven veteran players? That context makes it difficult to evaluate how he might play on a contender, particularly in the playoffs -- he's never played in them before. Like Kleber, Wood is capable of filling an increasingly important role in the modern NBA: playing power forward during the regular season than sliding down to center in the playoffs as teams downsize. At $14.8 million in 2022-23, the final season of his contract, Wood is a good value for the upcoming season. Presumably, the Mavericks wanted to add another big man capable of stretching the floor. (Wood has yet to start a game for a team that finished better than 33-49.)

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

Late last night, after Dallas citizens had finished dinner and stretched out on the couch, ready to watch reruns of Cheaters, the Mavericks front office and ...

But he can be a very good starter on this Mavs team and will give them someone to match up with against Draymond Green, Deandre Ayton, and Rudy Gobert in the West. It’s one of the sure things he will bring to the Mavs. This will allow Dallas to maintain their deadly small-ball lineup while improving on rebounding and defense up front. He ended up fleecing a team in the process. They were sometimes soft and passive during the Western Conference finals, overly deferring and scared to step up to take big shots when Dončić was exhausted. The Mavs might have thought it would be too much drama to take on Wood and Porter, although they could have used Porter’s scoring touch on the perimeter. Shams reported that Wood was benched last season after missing a mandatory COVID-19 testing window and refused to substitute into the game in the second half. Drafting after 20 won’t reap much return in the way of talent in a weak draft. To put it plainly, Mavs GM Nico Harrison fleeced the hell out of the Rockets. Ever since they traded away James Harden in 2021, Houston has muddled about in mediocrity. There’s not much for the Rockets to be excited about with their return. And the 26th pick the Mavs were holding was going to amount to another pine-riding player. The Mavericks would be trading the No. 26 overall pick of the 2022 draft, Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, and Marquese Chriss, to The Rockets in for Christian Wood. It’s telling that most media outlets reporting on the trade listed the Mavs’ 26th draft pick as the lead-in for what the Mavs would be giving up.

The NBA 2021-2022 season is near the end and the Dallas Mavericks have not wasted any time. On Wednesday, the Mavericks traded for Christian Wood.

This is just the beginning of something new. What this means is the team now has three empty roster spots they can fill. The last time the Mavs had a center average more than 10 rebounds, dates back to Deandre Jordan during the 2018 season. While Wood is still climbing up the charts, he definitely belongs in the conversation of the NBA’s top ten centers. During the last month of the season he averaged 46.8 percent from behind the three point line. With Woods alongside Luka Doncic, there is no doubt the Mavs new center will have plenty of opportunities to shot the ball, catch a lob or even post down low.

The Dallas Mavericks turned plenty of head in the basketball world Wednesday day sending their 2022 first-round pick and a package of players to the Houston ...

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How much better is Dallas now? Is Houston done making moves? Kevin Pelton examines the Mavs' trade for big man Christian Wood.

Gordon was a good mentor for the team's young guards last season but might be rewarded for that service with a deal to a contender. The cost to the Mavericks is both a draft and financial hit. The Rockets have 15 players under guaranteed contract plus forward Jae'Sean Tate, who has a non-guaranteed team option and is sure to be back. This deal can't be completed until after the draft because the Mavericks already owe a protected 2023 first-rounder to the New York Knicks from the Porzingis trade. In fairness to Wood, we've never seen him in a defensive culture like the one the Mavericks enjoyed in Kidd's first season as coach. Doncic and Kleber were a particularly potent pick-and-pop pairing, and Wood can do the same. How well will Wood fit in Dallas as the Mavericks aim to build a sustainable contender around star Luka Doncic? And what's next for the Houston Rockets after dealing one of their few proven veteran players? That context makes it difficult to evaluate how he might play on a contender, particularly in the playoffs -- he's never played in them before. Like Kleber, Wood is capable of filling an increasingly important role in the modern NBA: playing power forward during the regular season than sliding down to center in the playoffs as teams downsize. At $14.3 million in 2022-23, the final season of his contract, Wood is a good value for the upcoming season. Presumably, the Mavericks wanted to add another big man capable of stretching the floor. (Wood has yet to start a game for a team that finished better than 33-49.)

On March 31, 2022, Giannis Antetokounmpo drilled a 25-foot step-back jumper to tie a hotly contested game against the Brooklyn Nets.