Dallas Basketball

NBA Trade Rumors: Mavs Showing 'No Indication' Christian Wood is Available

Christian Wood will be eligible to sign an extension with the Dallas Mavericks as early as Christmas Eve. According to one report, the Mavs aren't giving any indications that Wood is going to be available via trade.

Dalton Trigg

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There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the future of Dallas Mavericks big man Christian Wood this season. After being acquired from the Houston Rockets via trade over the summer, many assumed Wood would automatically become the Mavs' starting center. However, Dallas signed veteran center JaVale McGee in free agency two weeks later and promised him the starting gig. After McGee was benched seven games into the season, Dwight Powell took over as the starting center.

Thirty-two games into the season, it appears the Mavs have finally come to their senses, as coach Jason Kidd has started Wood next to Luka Doncic in two consecutive games – Dallas got off to fast starts in both games despite splitting the mini-series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In 29 games, Wood is averaging 17.2 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 53.6 percent from the field, including 38.7 percent from deep. His timing on defense has gotten better as well as the season has progressed. In the Mavs' 104-99 win over the T-Wolves on Wednesday night, Wood had two blocks, and one of them was a clutch rejection that came with under two minutes remaining.

According to a report from Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes, Wood might not be on the trade market at all, despite previous speculation.

"Rival teams have begun monitoring what the Dallas Mavericks intend to do with center Christian Wood," Haynes wrote. "Dallas has yet to show any indication that he has been made available for a trade, but some teams believe that could change soon."

The likely reason why some rival teams think Dallas' stance could change soon is because of Wood's upcoming contract extension eligibility. He will be able to sign an extension of up to four years and $77 million as early as Christmas Eve. If for some reason the Mavs don't offer an extension, or if they do offer one and Wood declines to sign it, then the trade speculation will pick up again.

For now, though, the Mavs are going to continue to see how starting Wood next to Doncic could potentially change their season's trajectory, especially with a softer schedule coming up. Doncic and Wood have natural chemistry on the floor together, and overall, it appears that Wood is having a good time in Dallas.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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