Dallas Basketball

Mavs Have 'Moved On' From Free Agent Christian Wood; Will 'Remake' Center Rotation

With free agency right around the corner, all signs point towards the  Dallas Mavericks parting ways with Christian Wood to 'remake' their big man rotation.

Michael Mulford

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As the NBA offseason officially kicks off, the Dallas Mavericks have three legitimate focuses this summer: Re-signing Kyrie Irving, bolstering their defense, and adding a new, respectable starting center. 

In his Substack newsletter on Friday, NBA insider Marc Stein spoke on Mavericks forward Christian Wood and his upcoming free agency, as Dallas has reportedly already 'moved on' and plan to 'remake their center rotation.'

"Wood is bound for unrestricted free agency with the Mavericks, as I reported here April 9 and have subsequently reconfirmed this week, not expected to make him an offer to return," Stein wrote. "The Mavericks, sources say, have moved on and are looking to remake their center rotation."

In his first and only season in Dallas, Wood seemed to be doomed from the jump, as he and head coach Jason Kidd never seemed to get on the same page. His role was nothing short of inconsistent throughout the year. And though he showed flashes on offense, his defensive liability deemed to flash even brighter for Kidd.

The rest of Dallas' big man rotation speaks for itself, which contains Dwight Powell's expired contract, JaVale McGee's overpaid and infective contract, and Maxi Kleber, who didn't quite look the same after returning from his torn hamstring.

This season, the Mavs ranked dead last in the league in rebounds and 28th out of 30 teams in blocks per game, which is why Mavs GM Nico Harrison pledged to upgrade his team's roster in both areas in his exit interview following the end of the regular season. 

In the past year, Dallas has been linked to showing interest in big men such as Myles Turner, Deandre Ayton, and John Collins. With the No. 10 pick in play to be traded for a win-now piece, an upgrade at center is certainly a possibility, and the rumors will keep getting hotter as the June 22 drafts nears.

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Michael Mulford
MICHAEL MULFORD

Michael Mulford is a writer/editor for Dallas Basketball, where he extensively covers the Dallas Mavericks. He also covers the Chicago Bulls as the Managing Editor for Bulls Wire of USA Today Sports Media Group. Mulford grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and graduated from the University of North Texas in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation, Event, and Sports Management. He began his pursuit of sports writing in 2017 with Dallas Sports Fanatic, where he covered the Mavericks’ G League affiliate, Texas Legends. He then became the Managing Editor of Dallas Sports Fanatic just one year later and has covered the Mavericks as a credentialed media member since 2018, including covering numerous playoff games between 2021-22 and covering the team at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in 2019. In his time covering the Mavericks, Mulford has conducted numerous interviews for exclusive stories including with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, former Maverick and current VP of Basketball Ops Michael Finley, former Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson, and more. You can follow and interact with Mulford on Twitter at @TheMulf.

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