One of the best remaining free agents this NBA offseason is Christian Wood. Turning 28 in September, Wood has gone from a player in the G League that nobody knew about to being a real, key contributor for his teams.

Following the two best seasons of his career with the Houston Rockets, Wood was traded to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the start of the 2022-23 season and was expected to be the team's second-best option next to superstar Luka Doncic. While he played well in Dallas, things just did not pan out the way Wood and the Mavs envisioned, as his role steadily decreased over the course of the year.

Now, his status ahead of the 2023-24 season is unknown, as very few teams have shown interest in the versatile big man since NBA free agency began at the end of June. The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to be a potential destination for Wood this offseason, as have the Miami Heat, but another team from the Eastern Conference may be emerging as a suitor for him.

According to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Bulls are “suddenly” viewed as a threat to sign Wood, thus taking the Lakers out of the running for an impactful backup big man behind Anthony Davis.

The Bulls find themselves in an interesting spot, as missing the playoffs this past season has cast a lot of doubt on the future of their All-Star trio. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic highlight Chicago's roster, yet this organization has been unable to find success and Lonzo Ball's ongoing knee problems continue to hold them back.

Recently receiving a $10.2 million disabled player exception from the league for Ball's injury, the Bulls can be aggressive in their pursuit of more talent. As Woike mentions, Chicago is able to use part of or all of this exception to trade for or sign a player to a one-year deal this offseason. For the Lakers, they are only able to sign a player to a veteran's minimum contract, which would be problematic in their pursuit of Wood if the Bulls were to show a high level of interest as well.

Playing in 67 games for Dallas this past season, starting in 17 total games, Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 37.6 percent from three-point range. With his abilities to play out on the perimeter offensively while also being a shot-blocking factor, Wood could help virtually any playoff contending team right away.