Mavericks trade for Rockets big man Christian Wood

The Dallas Mavericks are trading for talented Houston Rockets big man Christian Wood, according to multiple reporters.

Wood will come to Dallas in exchange for Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, and Sterling Brown, along with the 26th pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Due to how the trade is constructed, it won’t be made official until draft night on June 23. This is the second major trade first year general manager Nico Harrison has made in four months, previously trading Kristaps Porzingis for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans at the February trade deadline.

For the Mavericks, this is about as low-risk a move they could make to upgrade their front court. Wood is 26 and talented, although he comes with lots of off-court red flags that are a major reason he was available for so cheap in the first place. But the numbers look great — last season he averaged 18 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists 67 games, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 39 percent from three.

The Mavericks aren’t really losing anything notable here. Every player they traded was at the end of the bench, out of the rotation. Losing the 26th pick stings a little, but knowing the Mavericks draft history, it isn’t a major loss. This will definitely test the good vibes of the Mavericks locker room, as they are sending out team favorite Marjanovic. The bonus with Wood? Even if the experiment fails, he’s entering the final year of his 3-year, $41 million contract. Wood will be a $14.3 million expiring contract this season if things go south, but it seems the Mavericks are betting on that not happening.

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