Getty Christian Wood of the Dallas Mavericks.
It’s been a weird year for the Dallas Mavericks. After making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last year, they’ve had an up-and-down season this time around. They added Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline, but it still seems as though they’re a piece or two away from truly competing for a championship.
Dallas also added Christian Wood to the squad over the summer, but his role has been extremely inconsistent. After the Mavericks’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, in which they were without Irving and Luka Doncic, head coach Jason Kidd gave an explanation regarding Wood’s playing time.
“You look at just the depth that we have with all the bigs, we’re trying to get them in the game and see who has the hot hand, and right now, with Maxi [Kleber] back, that’s going to cut some of his minutes down, especially when we’re healthy. That’s just the way it is right now, and it can change as we go forward,” Kidd said via Grant Afseth of DallasBasketball.com.
The Mavericks big man only logged 15:20 in a bench role during a game where neither of the team’s two stars was playing. He’s had a solid season so far this year but just can’t manage to earn consistent minutes or have a regular role in the team’s rotation.
Wood has appeared in 55 of the team’s 68 games this year and is playing 26.8 minutes per contest. He is averaging 17.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game on 52.2% shooting from the field and 36.9% shooting from behind the three-point line.
Mavericks ‘Wish’ They Traded Christian Wood
According to Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report, the Mavericks probably wish they traded Wood to the New Orleans Pelicans at this year’s deadline.
Here’s the full outline of the trade proposed by Buckley:
Pelicans Receive: Wood
Mavericks Receive: Jaxson Hayes, Naji Marshall, 2024 1st-round pick (Lottery-protected)
“This would be a tricky sell to the Mavs fanbase—and maybe the front office—since they’d be giving up the most talented player in the trade,” Buckley wrote. “But now that they have Kyrie Irving alongside Luka Dončić, they could see value in adding a pair of athletic, energetic defenders (plus a first-round pick) at the expense of an offense-only contributor like Wood. Hayes has the bounce and length to handle the rim-running role Dallas anticipated JaVale McGee would fill. Marshall has enough size and spirit to pester bigger perimeter players. The Mavs might still not have enough defense to win it all, but this would get them closer to passing that test. New Orleans, meanwhile, has a shooting shortage and could use another frontcourt scorer to help mask Zion Williamson’s ongoing absence. Wood might leave plenty to be desired on defense, but he’s absurdly skilled on the offensive end for a 6’10” combo big.”
Josh Green Sounds Off on Kyrie Irving & Luka Doncic
After the Mavericks’ loss to the Grizzlies, Josh Green spoke about the difficulties and sacrifices of playing alongside Irving and Doncic.
“Playing with two of the best players in the world, you’re going to have to sacrifice, and I’m completely fine with that,” Green told reporters via NBA.com. “But that’s for me to figure out, not them. … It’s going to work. There’s no question about that.”