This is the big trade of the night. Christian Wood indeed woke up this morning with a big horn in the middle of his forehead, quite logical because he is now part of the Dallas Mavericks. Behind this transfer which sends the 29th choice of the draft to come and a cast of players in Houston, the objectives of the Rockets are multiple. Come on, let’s sit down and analyze it all together.
Boom! Once is not custom: after the transfer of JaMychal Green from the Nuggets to the Thunder, it is the turn of the Mavs and the Rockets to follow up with a second exchange. JaMych’ won’t hold it against us, but we have to admit that sending Christian Wood to Dallas is of a completely different caliber than the one who ” inaugurated » the period of summer wanderings. If for the Mavericks the objective of this transfer is quite clear, namely to give Luka Doncic an attacking interior, it is a little less than a glance from Texas. However, nothing was left to chance and it is a rather clever move. First, things weren’t going so well between Wood and the Rockets. And go ahead, it dragged its feet, it mumbled before returning to the field. We illustrate a little here, but the reality is close: Christian did not feel comfortable in a team like this. Neither one nor two, pack your bags sir, and above all good luck. From a global reconstruction point of view, it’s difficult to try to convey messages of consistency, humility and respect to young people barely twenty years old when a 26-year-old guy is grumbling. This is not at all the primary reason for the trade, but the Rockets are gaining a bit there.
Christian Wood shot 40% on catch and shoot threes this season.
Luka’s new pick and pop partner. pic.twitter.com/aGKspqs7l3
— StatMuse (@statmuse) June 16, 2022
And so what is this primary reason? Quite simply to aim for the beautiful babies expected to go and shake Adam Silver’s claw at the start of the evening, according to Tankathon. Jabari Smith? Strong winger. Chet Holmgren? Pivot. Paolo Banchero? Strong winger. You will have understood it, with their 3rd choice, the Rockets are very likely to go for one of these zozos. To best develop a little kid like that, it’s hard to imagine leaving him behind another guy in the rotation. No, grandma said: “Have a little more stew, you have to eat, you’re young!” ». In the idea, grandmother was right since without significant playing time to put in their mouths, the future Rockets player will not have the opportunity to take his vitamins necessary for good growth. As such, Wood’s exit is a godsend. It should also be noted that with Alperen Sengun (19 years old), H-Town could acquire a beautiful interior doublet as young as talented. Finally, by bringing in players with weak contracts, Houston allows itself the luxury of being able to pass them on elsewhere to put a little weight on the scales during a future trade, while freeing up space in their cap space. For the Rockets, it is therefore a very clever exchange which has just been made, but which will perhaps not be the last before the draft.
Goodbye Christian Bois, hello Paolo, Jabari or Chet. In fact, if the first named is the one who is most likely to put down his suitcases in H-Town, the three thieves are warned: if they were to offer their talents to the Rockets, everything is in place so that they do so in the best possible conditions.
Source: Tankathon