The Houston Rockets just traded their leading scorer, Christian Wood, to the Dallas Mavericks. For some, this transaction might be surprising.
Wood, 26, is a versatile player who scores well as a rim runner and on pick and pop possessions. That makes him an ideal pick and roll partner for Luka Doncic in Dallas. He was the most productive rebounder and shot-blocker on the roster for the Rockets last season, too. So why would Houston’s front office decide it was time to move on from him?
Although he is on a fair contract relative to market value, Wood’s deal is set to expire at the end of the season. The organization clearly did not have much intention of re-signing him, so they were able to extract some value from his services rather than letting him walk for nothing.
Here is why they were likely prepared to do that, and why this was a smart and savvy decision by Houston’s decision-makers: