The Houston Rockets agreed to a three-year, $41-million contract on Friday with big man Christian Wood, formerly of the Detroit Pistons.
The development was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who says the deal will be completed via a sign-and-trade with Detroit. The Rockets will have a trade exception of approximately that size from Wednesday’s trade with the Pistons involving Trevor Ariza. Another conceivable option could be folding Wood’s signing into that deal. Free agency acquisitions can’t be made official until Sunday.
For the 2020-21 season, Wood will slot into Houston’s frontcourt rotation in a spot formerly occupied by Robert Covington (prior to his trade on Monday). In effect, the Rockets appear to have swapped Covington for Wood and two future first-round picks from Detroit and Portland.
Deal expected to be completed with a sign-and-trade via Detroit, per source. https://t.co/TALHbm9OlP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 21, 2020
An athletic 6-foot-10 big man, Wood averaged 13.1 points (56.7% shooting, 38.6% on 3-pointers) and 6.3 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game with the Pistons last season. He is only 25 years old, which potentially gives Houston a key building block in the years ahead.
After Detroit traded starting center Andre Drummond in early February, Wood filled many of those minutes and averaged 22.3 points (56.2% FG, 41.0% on 3-pointers) and 9.5 rebounds in 34.1 minutes per game over the remaining 15 games of Detroit’s 2019-20 season.
Here’s how James Edwards of The Athletic, who covered Wood last season with the Pistons, summed up Wood’s game:
Offensively, Wood is everything you want in a modern big. He can shoot, create off the dribble, and runs the floor well. His biggest growth needs to come on defense.
Wood went undrafted in 2015 after playing in college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He played for the Rockets in the NBA’s 2015 Summer League before starting his career in Philadelphia.
When free agency opens today, the Rockets will have the opportunity to improve their roster, armed with the full MLE.
What players should be on their Big Board? From Christian Wood to Torrey Craig, here are 20 names to consider.
https://t.co/5s9Nhuk34d— Kelly Iko (@KellyIkoNBA) November 20, 2020
