Christian Wood apparently has caught the eye of the Boston Celtics in the past. And the current Dallas Mavericks big man seemingly is back on the trade block ahead of the league’s deadline Thursday.
As it relates to the Celtics, Boston reportedly expressed interest in Wood before the 2020 deadline when he was a member of the Detroit Pistons. The Celtics reportedly made an offer to the Pistons at the time, but it didn’t go anywhere as Wood finished out the 2019-20 season in Detroit before signing a three-year, $41 million deal elsewhere.
Wood, 27, now is an impending free agent and could be traded by the Mavericks as Dallas tries to gain an asset before potentially losing him in free agency. The Mavericks included Wood in an offer to the Nets for Kyrie Irving, but Brooklyn instead wanted Dallas forward Dorian Finney-Smith, according to NBA reporter Marc Stein.
Still, Stein’s read on the Dallas situation makes the situation worth monitoring.
“The Nets’ refused Dallas’ attempts to ship them Christian Wood’s expiring contract or one of its less palatable long-term deals held by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dāvis Bertāns,” Stein wrote after Sunday’s reported trade of Irving, per Sports Illustrated. “Don’t be surprised, though, if Wood still gets dealt before Thursday’s 3 PM ET trade buzzer.”
Stein noted how Wood was “attracting trade interest” from the Los Angeles Clippers. He did not mention anything involving the Celtics.
Boston, however, has been involved in other rumors as the Celtics look to add frontcourt depth behind Robert Williams and Al Horford, who has yet to play on a back-to-back this season. Wood would provide that depth and more. The 6-foot-10, 214-pound veteran is averaging 18.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in 29 minutes per game this season (17 starts in 42 contests).
Of course, one big reason why the Mavericks might look to trade Wood is due to his contract status. It’s something the Celtics would have to consider before parting ways with players or draft assets. And perhaps it ultimately causes the Green to pass on adding someone in Wood’s situation. The Athletic’s Jay King reported the Celtics aren’t likely to trade for San Antonio Spurs center Jakob Poeltl because he too is an impending unrestricted free agent.
However, with the Celtics possessing one of the league’s best records and the best odds to win an NBA championship this season, adding a player to help immediately might be worth a short-sighted gamble.
