Wood's Future With Mavs in Question After Kyrie Trade

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Christian Wood of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Dallas Mavericks made quite a splash the week of the NBA Trade Deadline, when they acquired Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets. Irving’s move to Dallas had a bit of a domino effect, causing the Nets to deal Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns.

It seems the ramifications of the Mavs’ addition of Irving don’t end there, according to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News.

Caplan reported that despite national reports, the Mavericks have not offered Christian Wood a contract extension, partly because of the uncertainty surrounding the newest member of the team.

“A person familiar with negotiations confirmed Dallas’ front office has not offered Wood a contract extension, despite recent national reporting to the contrary,” Caplan wrote. “Doing so would appear unlikely to benefit the Mavericks’ roster-building flexibility as they evaluate long-term prospects with the controversy-ridden Irving. Though fizzled extension talks with the Nets prompted his Feb. 3 trade request, Irving and the Mavericks do not plan to negotiate an extension to his contract until after the season. The Mavericks can offer Irving an extension of up to two years, $78.6 million before June 30. Should Irving opt to leave as a free agent — with no compensation back to the Mavericks — Dallas would look to newly opened salary cap space (projected to be about $25 million with Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith’s multi-year deals off the books) as their main avenue to adding other contributors around Doncic. Offering Wood an extension before then would cut into that potential cap space before the Mavericks could gain clarity with Irving or evaluate how Wood’s standout regular-season production so far translates, particularly on defense, in what should be his first career playoff run this spring.”

The 27-year-old has been a strong contributor for the Mavs all season. He’s appeared in 44 of Dallas’ 56 games, playing 28.5 minutes each time. Wood averages 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 53% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc.

Kyrie Irving Could Leave Mavericks, Join Kevin Durant in Phoenix

The risk of Irving leaving is something that the Mavs had to understand before trading for the ex. Nets guard on February 5.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst hinted that the 30-year-old may leave Dallas as early as this summer, during a recent appearance on Get Up.

“Well, first off, I’d like to just point out that Kyrie and James Harden are free agents in the summer,” Windhorst said. “So, if you think this is over, it ain’t over. And Kyrie was interested in being in Phoenix, so just start thinking about that.”

If Irving was to join his old friend Durant in Phoenix, it would have to be via sign and trade, as the Suns don’t have the cap space to sign him outright. It may not sound all that logical for Dallas to agree to a deal to send the guy that they just traded for away. But, if he wants to force his way out, it’d be better for the Mavs to get something in return rather than losing him for nothing.

Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving Sends Strong Message to Kevin Durant

Irving first learned of Durant’s departure from Brooklyn after making his Mavericks debut on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers.

He discussed the move with the media, sending a strong message to his former teammate.

“Competition as brothers. You know, I’m just praying for his happiness, praying for his well being. We had a lot of conversations throughout the year of what our futures were going to look like, there was still a level of uncertainty,” Irving said via Brad Townsend. “But, we just cared about seeing each other be places where we can thrive, and whether that be together or whether that be apart, there’s never been one moment where I’ve felt like he’s been angry at me for the decisions I’ve made, or I’ve been angry at him. We’ve just tried to understand each other a lot better and grow as human beings, grow as brothers. This business changes so quickly. He’s getting a little bit older, I’m getting a little bit older. I just love the competition now that we can be in the same conference and I welcome all of that. I’ll get to see him a little bit more, probably playing against Phoenix a lot more. That’s what I’m looking forward to. Everything else in between, I’m just glad he got out of there.”