'It's A Blessing': Mavs' Christian Wood Dominates in 1st Christmas Day Game; Contract Extension Coming?
Ahead of the Dallas Mavericks' 124-115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day, we made a prediction in our game preview about who would step up to give Luka Doncic the most help with an injury-riddled roster.
Doncic will likely put on a show with the spotlight being directly on him, but Christian Wood might have the best chance of giving him the most help on Sunday. Wood hasn't scored more than 15 points in his last three games despite picking things up on the defensive end by averaging 2.7 blocks during that span. He seems due for a breakout performance on offense, and the Lakers not having [Anthony] Davis to defend him means that breakout could come on Christmas.
In his first-ever Christmas Day game, Wood did just that. Not only did he have his offensive breakout with 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while shooting 12-17 from the field, but he kept up his recent surge on the defensive end as well by tallying four steals and two blocks. Wood was a +16 in his 38 minutes of action.
“It’s amazing. It’s a blessing," said Wood of his first Christmas Day game experience. "I used to be that kid sitting at home watching Kobe [Bryant], watching LeBron [James]. That D-Wade, LeBron pass. Just to be playing against him on Christmas Day, specifically, is a blessing. It’s an honor, so I was happy and ready to go tonight.”
The timing of Wood's performance couldn't be better for him, as he just became eligible for a contract extension of up to four years, $77 million on Christmas Eve. The Mavs are 3-1 with Wood starting next to Doncic, and if he keeps up this level of play, it would make sense for the Mavs to offer him an extension instead of risking losing him for nothing in free agency. That same scenario is what happened with Jalen Brunson last season, and Dallas should look to avoid that situation this time around.
“I’m happy to be here,” Christian Wood told ESPN's Tim MacMahon after the game when asked about a possible extension. “That’s what I’ll say. The vibe is good. … I’m open to it.”
One of the mistakes the Mavs made last season was waiting until after the trade deadline to offer Brunson an extension. At that point, it was too late, and Brunson leaving for New York was inevitable. The Mavs might want to survey the trade market before making a decision on giving Wood an extension or not, but we'd argue that there would be more lucrative trade opportunities going into the summer and beyond.
Whether Wood is a long-term piece on this Dallas roster or not, he's more valuable to the team – both on the court as as key contributor and off the court as a potential trade asset – on a longer contract rather than an expiring one with impending unrestricted free agency.
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