Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Reporting on the top trade candidates for all 30 NBA teams from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
NBA executives are beginning their due diligence for the upcoming trade market with December 15th approaching, the first day players who signed offseason contracts can be traded.
Below is the latest intel HoopsHype has gathered on the top trade candidates for all 30 NBA teams.
Mavericks forward Christian Wood talks to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto about chasing his first All-Star berth, Sixth Man of the Year and more.
After joining his seventh team in as many seasons, Christian Wood has gotten off to a hot start with the Dallas Mavericks and put himself on the radar to become an All-Star for the first time and contend for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Following a trip to the Western Conference Finals, Dallas acquired Wood, hoping he’d form an effective pick-and-roll tandem with Luka Doncic and fortify the team’s frontcourt. Through his first four games, the results have been promising, with Wood leading the NBA in offensive rating (134), ranking fifth in net rating (26.4), sixth in three-point percentage (66.7), and ninth in usage percentage (32.2) and rebounding percentage (18.7).
Wood, who’s currently earning $14.32 million in the final year of his contract and will be one of the top unrestricted free agents on the market in the summer of 2023, is also in a prime position to make the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Following a victory over the Nets at Barclays Center, Wood spoke with HoopsHype about playing with Doncic, contending for the Sixth Man of the Year award, why Dallas can reach the NBA Finals, striving for his first All-Star berth, and more.
Dennis Smith Jr. nearly left the NBA for the NFL before the Charlotte Hornets offered him a contract.
Dennis Smith Jr. appeared to be out of the NBA this summer after playing for his fourth team in five seasons. He contemplated a career change before an old friend helped him get one last shot with the Charlotte Hornets.
“I told my previous agent, ‘I’m not going overseas,’” Smith explained. “If sh*t don’t work out, I’m just going to the NFL. I was dead-a** serious. I put on a lot of weight. I was going to try.”
Smith planned to compete for a spot as an NFL defensive back. However, no NFL teams ever spoke with him before he got a one-year offer to play for the Hornets.
Nick Friedman, an assistant coach with the Hornets, trained Smith during his pre-draft process in 2017. The two remained in touch over the years and ran into each other during open pickup runs in Miami. After a solid showing, Smith was invited back three more times, played well, and ended up getting his contract with the Hornets.
“People were just trying to write me off,” Smith told HoopsHype. “I was like, you’ve got all these guys way older than me with whatever their situations are, and they’re getting an opportunity of this, that, and the third. I know I’m young. I’ve got time. I’m confident in myself.”
Through four games this season, Smith is averaging 13.5 points on an efficient 52.2 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent from three-point range with 6.3 assists and 2.3 steals in 28.5 minutes.
“Some guys figure it out later, some guys figure it out right away,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “He’s a talented guy. Even though with the injuries, he’s not the athlete he was, he’s still a really good athlete, even for this league. I don’t see that he’s doing anything that he can’t continue to do, frankly.”
After being traded from the Mavericks following Luka Doncic’s arrival, failing to live up to expectations on the Knicks as the top player acquired in the Kristaps Porzingis trade, and pit stops with the Pistons and Trail Blazers, Smith is thankful for his shot with the Hornets to salvage his NBA career.
“It’s been different,” Smith told HoopsHype when asked how he’d describe his NBA journey. “A roller coaster, up and down. I wouldn’t trade it for anybody else’s, though. I think it’s changed me in a lot of ways, made me who I am, and helped me grow. I’m thankful for it.”
You can follow Michael Scotto on Twitter: @MikeAScotto
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