The end of July is upon us, which means the NBA motions towards a somewhat “dead period” until training camp begins in September. At this point in the offseason, teams are figuring out the last little details regarding their rosters, including which players they would like to sign to two-way contracts. However, several key names remain as free agents this summer, including seven-year veteran Christian Wood.
Early on in his career, Wood did not see much playing time at all and ended up spending a good amount of time in the NBA G League before showcasing his abilities with the Milwaukee Bucks at Summer League in 2018. From there, he put himself on a lot of teams' radars and earned contracts with the New Orleans Pelicans and Detroit Pistons before breaking out with the Houston Rockets.
In two seasons with the Rockets from 2020-2022, Wood put up 19.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game while shooting 50.7 percent from the floor and 38.4 percent from three-point range. A modern-day big man who could stretch the floor and be productive on both ends of the floor, Wood was traded to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of this past season, but he saw his role diminish greatly to the point where he is now looking for a new home as an unrestricted free agent.
Virtually no team at this point in the offseason has a lot of cap space, which is why Wood is going to have to be willing to take a discount on a new contract if he is to remain in the NBA. There have been rumors about the Mavs trying to find a sign-and-trade scenario.
In terms of who could target the versatile big man, these three teams stand out as ideal landing spots.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been extremely busy this offseason. They not only retained Caris LeVert on a new two-year, $32 million deal, but they acquired Max Strus in a sign-and-trade deal and also signed Ty Jerome and Georges Niang. With their core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen all on the floor and healthy, the Cavs should once again be threats in the Eastern Conference.
They still have two open roster spots, though, and could open up a third available slot if they waive Sam Merrill, something that looks unlikely after he helped lead Cleveland to a Summer League championship. The Cavs could realistically fill their last couple of roster spots with any position, but adding more frontcourt depth is necessary. Both Niang and Dean Wade are not true big men at the power forward position, and it is hard to believe that the Cavs will enter the new season with Damian Jones being their only backup center.
If he's willing to take a minimum-like contract for one year, Cleveland could end up with the steal of the offseason by signing Wood. Not to mention, he's the perfect inverse big man for the Cavs to have behind Allen since he brings a new dynamic to the floor offensively.
Whereas Allen is a traditional big man who plays in the paint and excels by rolling to the rim in pick-and-roll sets, Wood can play out on the perimeter and take pressure off of his team's guards by knocking down three-point shots. Defensively, Wood has averaged just over a block per game the last three seasons combined, so he would still be an impactful rim protector for this team when their All-Star center goes off the floor.
The Cavs seem to be one piece away from being a team that can truly contend for a spot in the NBA Finals. Adding Wood would give them the best frontcourt in the entire league, so this would be an acquisition that could finally push Cleveland over the edge in what will be a wide-open Eastern Conference during the 2023-24 season.
Chicago Bulls
Not much has gone right for the Chicago Bulls over the years, and they entered this NBA offseason with a ton of questions to answer. So far, we have an answer as to what Nikola Vucevic's future is looking like, but the futures of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine remain unclear.
This upcoming season may very well prove to be Chicago's last chance to prove it can compete, otherwise management and ownership could look to start fresh and rebuild. Lonzo Ball continuing to deal with knee problems is a major concern for this franchise, but they at least received a $10.2 million disabled player exception that can be utilized right now.
The Bulls have been named a potential destination for Wood at this point in free agency, and it's a move that would make a lot of sense for Chicago. Outside of LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic, the Bulls' lack of proven, productive scoring talent is eye-opening and an offensive jolt is needed. The best part about Wood is that he could not only be a key backup if Vucevic got hurt, but he could realistically start at the power forward position for this team if they wanted.
Chicago would create a lengthier, more productive rotation with the addition of Wood. If the Bulls are actually willing to go into the luxury tax, they could use that DPE to offer him a decent chunk of change. They also still have over $6 million of their mid-level left and the $4.5 million bi-annual exception, so there are options here when it comes to contract offers if they want to go higher than the minimum.
Wood would still play an integral role, he'd be on a team contending for a playoff spot and he would be able to continue to prove he's worth a long-term deal next summer. What more could you want if you were Wood at this point in the summer?
Los Angeles Lakers
Alas, you can't talk about a player remaining a free agent in the offseason without bringing up the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James and Co. have once again revamped their roster during the summer, as the Lakers have already welcomed six new faces to their organization, including their two rookies in Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis.
Like the Cavs, the Lakers still have two roster spots remaining, and it is no secret that they are looking to bring in another big man for frontcourt depth behind Anthony Davis. Out of all the power forwards and centers remaining, Wood is the best and makes the most sense for Los Angeles. It's no surprise there have been rumblings about him going there.
As mentioned previously, he can spread his game out to the perimeter and be another secondary source of scoring. This is something the Lakers need, especially in their frontcourt since Davis has had trouble remaining healthy through the years.
Nobody imagined that the Lakers would be in the Western Conference Finals a season ago, yet they proved to be real title threats. Signing Wood may not only get them back to the conference finals, but put them in the NBA Finals with a chance to win their 18th championship in team history. He's the best free agent remaining and fills a need they have on their roster, which is why signing Wood to a minimum-like contract should be a no-brainer move for the Lakers.
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