The Dallas Mavericks have finally answered the looming question mark at the center position. While the priority of re-signing Jalen Brunson remains high, GM Nico Harrison makes the early offseason move to acquire Houston Rockets from the Houston Rockets.
Dallas shipped out Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, Sterling Brown, and the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Dallas moved on from four players who didn’t play meaningful minutes to bring in a starting caliber center. Houston was looking to add young talent through the draft, while the Mavericks felt that Wood is a better immediate offseason acquisition than anyone who might be available at the 26th pick.
Wood is a tremendously strong pair with superstar Luka Doncic. His ability to roll to the rim, paired with his ability to shoot from three, makes Wood a dynamic P&R threat. He brings to the offensive side of the ball what Powell and Kleber excel at respectively. Not to mention, Luka is currently the best facilitator in the league.
I also can’t overstate how valuable it is to surround Luka with shooters. Wood shot 39% from three point range this past season. We saw what Dallas has been able to accomplish when their elite shooters are seeing the ball go in.
The general consensus seems to be that Wood should’ve had a higher trade value. To me, Houston jumped on the opportunity to snag a first rounder, while only taking on 4 smaller expiring contracts.
Another important aspect is that this move opened up three roster spots, one of which expected to go to Theo Pinson.
It will be interesting to see what Harrison has in mind for those open roster spots, whether that involves the trade market or in free agency. No question about it, the Mavericks aren’t finished making moves.
