Report: 1 Mavericks starter unlikely to remain with team

Mar 16, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd coaches against the Brooklyn Nets during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

After less than eight months together, the Dallas Mavericks may be giving one player his walking papers.

Morten Stig Jensen of Sports Illustrated reported on Thursday that Mavs big man Christian Wood may no longer be on the team past the trade deadline. Jensen said that he will be surprised if Wood is still on the Mavs in a week’s time based on what he is currently hearing.

This matches up with a recent report by veteran NBA writer Marc Stein, who said a few weeks ago that the Mavericks were widely expected to explore the trade market for Wood ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline.

The 27-year-old Wood is a fine player. He fits well alongside Luka Doncic as a floor-spacer (38.5 percent shooting from 3), inside presence (8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game), and all-around scorer (18.4 points per game on 53.5 percent from the field overall). Wood, after coming off the bench to start his Mavs tenure, has also now earned the team’s starting center job.

But there are a couple of complicating factors here. Wood has been out for two weeks now with a thumb injury, giving Dallas a chance to see what their team looks like without him. Additionally, Wood will be an unrestricted free agent after the season and has failed to reach an extension agreement with the Mavs to this point.

The latest rumors are that Doncic, Dallas’ franchise player, is pressuring the front office to upgrade the team’s roster. Thus, using Wood as part of a trade package for an even better player makes sense, especially since the Mavs just might lose him for nothing in the summer.