Disgruntled veteran big man Christian Wood isn't expected to be back with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2023-24 season, according to The Athletic's Tim Cato.
Wood, who the Mavs acquired in a trade with the Houston Rockets last summer, was on the final season of the three-year contract he signed with the Detroit Pistons to complete the sign-and-trade that landed him in Houston.
Athletic and skilled offensively, dissatisfaction with his role has followed him at each of his last three stops.
However, while Wood is clearly an ambitious player, he did average 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game on 51.5 percent shooting from the field and 37.6 percent from 3-point range.
The more minutes he received, the more he produced. Like in January, when he averaged 21.1 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks in 34.2 minutes per game.
Like other players on the roster, there were defensive concerns with Wood. However, Mavs head coach Jason Kidd was either unable or unwilling to give Wood real clarity about his role throughout the season.
In fact, consider that Mavs center JaVale McGee believed that he would be a starter with Dallas. One might wonder if one of the franchise's issues is a lack of transparency- or a lack of forthrightness.
After all, Mavs owner Mark Cuban demonstrated at the end of the 2022-23 regular season that he would rather tank to retain a draft pick than fight to make the playoffs with future Hall of Fame Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving on the roster.
All that said, perhaps both parties are better off without each other. The Mavs do need to focus on adding defensive pieces around their stars- and Wood needs an organization that values him more.
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