3 Questions Spurs fans may have after puzzling Christian Wood trade


NBA fans were treated to some earlier-than-usual player movement on Wednesday when news broke that the two Texas teams not named the San Antonio Spurs agreed to a trade surrounding Christian Wood.
Given past dust-ups between Wood and the Houston Rockets, the fact that he was traded wasn't a big surprise. What was a bit of a shock was just how little they got in return for him.
Sources: The Mavericks are sending Boban Marjanovic, Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss and the No. 26 pick to the Rockets for Christian Wood. https://t.co/fbxxAL7OGu
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 16, 2022
According to the trade as detailed by Shams Charania, the cost to the Dallas Mavericks doesn't seem to be much at all. Essentially, it took them four low-usage bench players and a late first-round pick for a 6-10 center averaging 18 and 10 throughout his career.
Like many others, I had some immediate questions about the move and how it can ultimately affect San Antonio.
1. Could the Spurs have created a better package for Christian Wood?
In looking at what the Mavericks ended up giving up, it's pretty clear the Houston Rockets were looking to part with Wood in any way possible. As a radio host in Houston shared shortly after the trade was announced, the toxicity surrounding Wood's situation with the Rockets seemed to even be affecting possible draft picks next week.
Heard there are a lot of agents of players expected to be highly-drafted next week who weren’t thrilled about the possibility of their guy playing with Christian Wood. Silas was a Saint and good soldier. This was a needed move for #Rockets and a good decision.
— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) June 16, 2022
Of course, a player that comes with that kind of baggage and past attitude issues could very well be why the Spurs didn't bother poking around in the first place. On paper, my gut reaction is that this was a missed opportunity by San Antonio when I consider how well Wood fits on the court with them.
As a big that can knock down threes, the Spurs' offense would flow much better with him starting next to Jakob Poeltl. Unfortunately, his complete lack of interior defense would've just created another problem.
In the end, it's not the end of the world that San Antonio missed out on Wood, but it seems obvious to me that they could've created a more compelling package if they wanted to.