Memo to the Houston Rockets: KEEP CHRISTIAN WOOD.
You have him on contract until 2022-2023, he is the most productive player on your roster that's not overpaid, and he's entering into his prime. Oladipo, Wall, and Gordon are overpriced, and with a young core forming in Wood and Porter Jr., it's time to commit to a rebuild. Keep him, and keep him safe.
The twist to that memo, of course, is its flip side: Christian Wood should want out of Houston.
He has finally emerged after two truly underrated seasons living in some sort of shadow. In New Orleans, he developed under Anthony Davis during that awkward tamper-y year with the Lakers. In Detroit, he became truly underrated while being overshadowed by Blake Griffin and the depressing Pistons.
Don't put yourself through another Detroit, Christian. You came back from injury on Wednesday night against Golden State, posted a better plus/minus than all but three other players on the roster, and for what? Deep down, you know that everyone will just be talking about Wall and/or Oladipo, and you'll be forgotten again. You deserve better than to constantly live in the NBA's basement.
Let's get you out of that basement. These are the 3 trade destinations Christian Wood needs to ask for, ASAP.
Destination 1: Brooklyn Nets
Nets receive: Christian Wood
Rockets receive: Spencer Dinwiddie, Nicolas Claxton
Spoiler alert: these destinations are probably fantasies, but what fantasies they are.
Sean Marks has built an absolute titan in New York's ‘little brother' burrough. The Brooklyn Nets are 9-1 in their last 10 games, and no team can keep up with them in the scoring column. The only things keeping the Nets away from being the 2017 Warriors of this season are defense and rebounding.
Let's face it: Deandre Jordan and Nic Claxton are great in different ways, but there is a reason why the Nets have been linked to almost every single serviceable big on the block.
It would honestly be a surprise, then, that this sort of deal wouldn't have crossed GM Sean Marks' mind at all. A sweet-shooting big (over 40% from three) who is averaging career highs in every counting stat that is also just entering his prime? Sign him up. Deandre and Claxton are great rim runners, but if you can imagine a player that measures up to them athletically that can also space the floor, Christian Wood is it.
On Houston's side, this is a pretty decent return for a fantasy. Nic Claxton has shown oodles of athletic potential in limited minutes and is more on Kevin Porter Jr.'s timeline than Christian Wood. Spencer Dinwiddie was a borderline All-Star in the East last year, and can provide a good mix of upside and current success. If he doesn't pan out in the gym at all, he's set to join the open market this very offseason, so no harm done to the cap.
But at the end of the day, this exercise is for Wood's benefit. It's safe to say that a guaranteed championship is a good benefit for the budding star.
Destination 2: Los Angeles Lakers
Lakers receive: Christian Wood
Rockets receive: Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma
Nighty night, Clippers.
If you are Houston, and you are looking really to commit to a rebuild, this Wood trade is one that you just have to consider if the other side is willing to talk.
Rumors have been floating around Kyle Kuzma for years. He is constantly being viewed somewhere between a blossoming part for the Lakers' future, an underpaid key cog on the current team, and a fine scorer with a low ceiling. These Houston Rockets are the perfect organization to solve that mystery.
Kyle Kuzma is the perfect sort of player for Houston's rebuilding timeline. He is old enough to mentor Porter, Jr., and is young enough to still have some developing to do. Take him away from the dual star power of Lebron and AD, and he could blossom to a Zach Lavine-level sort of player as a team's primary option. At the very least, he comes cheaper than Oladipo and Wall. Montrezl, meanwhile, is the perfect compliment to a Porter/Kuzma perimeter duo as a rim-running big man with a soft touch. That offense is all sorts of intriguing.
And for Christian Wood, the same potential with the Brooklyn scenario above applies here. He is not a space clogger, and can easily man the five spot when AD comes back to play his most optimal role as a wildly athletic four. Lebron gets a new plaything to mess up opponents that is also an immediate upgrade to Harrell on the boards, on defense, and behind the arc.
If Wood can stay healthy (there's no reason to believe that he can't), this Lakers offense can finally catch up to their defense. That, right there, should be a terrifying thought to the rest of the league.
Destination 3: New York Knicks
Hornets receive: Christian Wood, Eric Gordon
Rockets receive: Kevin Knox, Nerlens Noel, Obi Toppin
Serious question: what in the world were the Rockets thinking when they decided to pay Eric Gordon until he was in his mid-30's? Athleticism or no, that was overpaying to the extreme. Aside from John Wall, he is by far their biggest cap hit over the next few years, and they need to get out from under his contract.
Enter the New York Knicks. Let's get silly.
If any team is built to take on Gordon's massive contract, it is the New York Knicks. Core players RJ Barrett and Julius Randle are locked in for the next few years, Mitchell Robinson is just scratching the surface of his potential, Ntilikina has made massive strides as a defender, and they have youthful backups for days.
The Knicks just need a few shooters to spice up the offense.
Eric Gordon provides shooting on the wing that the roster currently doesn't have. Christian Wood can either man the middle on his own or space the floor as a stretch four when Mitchell Robinson comes back. A lineup of Barrett, Ntilikina, Randle, Wood, and Robinson is young, athletic, long, and scary on both ends of the court.
In exchange, the Rockets receive some intriguing youth in turn. Knox is still just 21 years old, and is possibly a testament to unrealized potential on a derelict team. Obi Toppin has disappointed as a rookie, but makes for an intriguing big wing a la Aaron Gordon. And Nerlens Noel scratches that athletic five itch that Houston has been gnawing at since they let go of Clint Capela.
The Knicks as currently constructed gave the juggernaut Nets a legitimate fight just a little while back. If Scott Perry plans to build on that, this move is tailor-made to do so.
If it wasn't clear before, this exercise in hypotheticals should make it clear that Christian Wood is for real. Right now, he can be a legitimate contributor on a championship roster, and that talent is being wasted in Houston. They are rightfully very smart to hold onto him (he has been mentioned as the only untouchable player on their roster).
However, it would not be smart at all for him to stick by them.
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