Mavericks’ Free Agent ‘Insane Value’ at Veteran’s Minimum Deal: Analyst

Getty Dallas Mavericks free agent Christian Wood would be an "insane value" signing for the veteran's minimum for another team

Unrestricted Dallas Mavericks free agent Christian Wood would be an “insane value” signing for any team that is able to land him this offseason for the veteran’s minimum according to CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn — who added in his response to a tweet from SB Nation’s Cooper Halpern that while Wood is flawed, he could be a major regular season “innings-eater.”

“I don’t think people are grasping how insane the value (Wood) would be for the minimum,” Quinn prefaced before saying, “Does he have flaws that would matter in the playoffs? Sure. But at worst, he’d be one of the best regular-season innings eaters in the NBA on a team that desperately needs innings eaten.”

Quinn would later call Wood one of the most polarizing players in basketball due to his offensive repertoire and defensive deficiencies.

“Wood is among the most polarizing players in basketball. He has averaged 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game over the past three seasons, and in the process, he’s made 313 of his 821 3-point attempts, good for over 38% from deep,” Quinn prefaced before saying, “And that stellar 3-point shooting might not even be his best offensive skill. The Mavericks scored a preposterous 1.44 points per 100 possessions when Wood finished plays as the roller in pick-and-roll last season.”

LeBron Makes Lakers Appealing Christian Wood Destination

The presence of LeBron James makes the Los Angeles Lakers an appealing destination for Wood in free agency according to Quinn.

“James’ presence likely makes the Lakers a somewhat appealing destination for Wood considering his apparent circumstances,” Quinn wrote. “Marc Stein has reported that he has thus far only received interest for the minimum salary. James has turned the Lakers into a haven for veterans seeking paydays.”

Quinn sees James as the perfect anecdote to the supposed cultural problems Wood causes and assesses the 27-year-old as a “low-risk, high-reward addition.”

“James has succeeded with plenty of players that raised red flags before joining his team,” Quinn prefaced before saying, “The right culture can do wonders for a player. Even if the fit is imperfect, the bar is relatively low for a minimum-salary contract. Wood’s defensive flaws likely would prove problematic in a playoff setting, but the Lakers didn’t even use a backup center in the postseason. If they had to abandon the position again, or simply tilt more of those minutes to Hayes, they could do so relatively easily. Regular-season innings eaters are dangerous bets on sizable contracts, but they’re extremely valuable for minimum ones. It would be a low-risk, high-reward addition.”

Mavericks Free Agent Among Several Lakers Big Man Options

Wood is among one of several options for the Lakers’ 14th roster spot for the 2023-24 season according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha (subscription required).

“Centers Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo are in consideration for that 14th roster spot, according to team sources not authorized to speak publicly on the matter,” Buha reported of Los Angeles’ late offseason ambitions.

Buha revealed Rob Pelinka’s plans to add further frontcourt talent after bringing on Jaxson Hayes on a two-year, $4.6 million contract on July 1.

“I think adding Jaxson Hayes was key to (Los Angeles’ frontcourt depth),” Pelinka said. “I think Jaxson, much like maybe Dwight Howard in that stretch for us: big body, rim protector, active roller. But we are looking to add an additional center as well.”