After a disappointing end to their season, the Mavericks are poised to reshape their roster. According to The Athletic’s Tim Cato, one move that’s on their horizon is to not resign Christian Wood.
The decision to part ways with Wood stems from his role in Dallas’ underwhelming big man rotation. Along with Dwight Powell, whose contract is also finished with the team, Wood failed to be a formidable anchor on defense. Unlike his teammates, Maxi Kleber and JaVale McGee, though, the 27-year-old doesn’t have age to blame for his deficiencies. In fact, the Mavericks believe that Kleber will bounce back next season with a full offseason to recover.
Instead, what Dallas will prioritize this summer is adding players that can defend and rebound. This is an attempt to surround Luka Doncic with a team tailored to his playstyle. Moreover, adding players of this archetype will bode well for Kyrie Irving’s game, as well. It is widely known that the Mavericks are “optimistic” that they can resign the eight-time All-Star this summer.
“Dallas’ offseason priorities, Harrison said at his exit interview, is to add players who can defend and rebound,” Cato wrote. “Two of the team’s underwhelming big man rotation, Wood and Dwight Powell, are out of contract — and Wood, team sources say, is, unsurprisingly, not expected to be back. Maxi Kleber and McGee both showed age-related decline, although Dallas hopes that Kleber, 31, can bounce back with a full offseason to recover from midseason hamstring surgery.”
Wood is an unrestricted free agent this summer. This past season with Dallas, he averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 25.9 minutes of action.