Mavs Insider Reveals Why Jason Kidd ‘Never Wanted’ Christian Wood

After just one season in Dallas, journeyman Christian Wood has landed with the Lakers after the Mavericks had no interest in a reunion.

For as talented as Christian Wood is with the basketball in his hands on offense, talent is apparently lacking when it comes to sticking with a team for more than one season.

After just one year with the Dallas Mavericks, Wood is off to Hollywood to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, signing a two-year, $5.7 million deal with a player option in year two.

On Monday's episode of The Lowe Post, ESPN's Zach Lowe and Tim MacMahon discussed Wood joining the Lakers and his one-year stint in Dallas, one that Mavs head coach Jason Kidd wasn't too fond of.

"There's a long list of teams that didn't want him back," MacMahon said of Wood. "Jason Kidd never wanted him. He never wanted him."

For Kidd, who is a defense-first kind of coach, unless you're the likes of Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving, you better either be an above-average defender or at least give endless effort on the defensive end if you want to remain in his rotation.

"The Mavs asked Christian Wood to be a bench scorer," MacMahon said. "Wood, and really more so, the people that he listens to, considered that to be some great insult."

In 50 games coming off the bench last season, Wood averaged 15.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 24 minutes per game. In 17 games as a starter, Wood averaged 20.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in 33 minutes per game. But, despite the difference in points and rebounds, the more minutes Wood received, the larger negative impact he had on the Mavs with him on the floor.

Both MacMahon and Lowe agreed that if Wood had 'embraced' the sixth-man role for the Mavs and was motivated to become 'the best bench scorer in the league,’ he could've cashed out this summer instead of being forced to settle for the vet minimum two months into free agency. 

"He would've got at least the mid-level," MacMahon said. "But, you've already got this rep. He's not a bad dude. He's a nice guy, he's not a bad dude. He's a doofus -- there's a difference. But, every coach he has seems to be very eager to move on from him."

Wood came to Dallas being labeled as a losing player with a different perception of what his role should be than what everyone else had. Despite his offensive talents, Wood's defensive deficiency and struggles to accept a lesser role was his downfall in not just Dallas, but his several former stops around the league. 

Will the Mavs miss Wood's offensive versatility? At times, sure. But, his occasional lackluster defense and effort should surely be an addition by subtraction this season. We’ll see if Wood, who ironically has the nickname, ‘Hollywood,’ can change his reputation for the better and turn things around with the Lakers.

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