Christian Wood Will ‘Almost Certainly’ Leave Mavs in Free Agency?

Whether it’s more on Christian Wood or coach Jason Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks shouldn’t be shocked if the big man they traded for last summer walks in free agency this time around.

Although versatile big man Christian Wood has had an efficient season on the offensive end, averaging 17.8 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 53 percent overall and 38 percent from deep in 27.8 minutes per game, that didn’t stop the Dallas Mavericks from shopping him heavily before trade deadline.

Wood is averaging 1.2 blocks per game, which is great, but his overall defense hasn’t been what the Mavs have needed in order to take the next toward being a true title contender. Perhaps that will change when Maxi Kleber returns from his hamstring injury after the All-Star break, but at this point in the season, Dallas can’t expect too much change.

According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, the writing might already be on the wall when it comes to Wood’s unrestricted free agency this summer.

Wood’s situation is more complicated: He’s a dangerous scorer who often doesn’t cover enough space defensively to warrant the coaching staff’s trust. But the Mavericks remain in need of his minutes on this roster, even if Wood might not be thrilled with the limited bench role he’s been assigned and will almost certainly depart this summer.

What you see with Wood is what you get — an extremely efficient forward/center that can pour in the points in a hurry … but also might give up a few buckets at the rim due to late rotations or mistiming block attempts.

Wood made it known from his first day at Mavs training camp that he views himself as a starting-caliber player, and given his overall production, he’s probably right in that self-assessment. But the Mavs just aren’t good enough defensively or deep enough to justify starting him right now. At least, that’s how coach Jason Kidd and his coaching staff apparently feel.

With the home stretch of the season coming after this weekend’s All-Star break, there’s still a chance things can change with Wood’s situation depending on how he plays in the postseason and how the Luka Doncic-Kyrie Irving duo develops. Although Irving could leave in free agency as well, the Mavs should be able to retain him if they’re willing to offer him the max contract he wants.

But for now, it’s looking like the Mavs are in danger of potentially losing yet another key player for nothing in free agency in back-to-back years.

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