Rockets Marquee Games To Watch: Christian Wood's Revenge Game
HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets had several significant decisions to make during the off-season, but none more so than deciding the future of Christian Wood. General manager Rafael Stone had to determine if Wood was worth receiving a max contract extension.
In June, Wood revealed that he held contract talks with the Rockets and expected conversations to continue throughout the summer. But two days after throwing the ceremonial first pitch inside Minute Maid Park, Houston sent Wood to the Dallas Mavericks for a late first-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and several players back in return.
The Rockets will have a chance to prove that they made the right decision by not extending Wood during their first southwest divisional match against the Mavericks on Nov. 16. inside the American Airlines Arena.
"I just want to win," Wood said. "I'm just focusing on winning games and getting to the playoffs. I haven't been to the playoffs yet in my career. So that's where my focus is."
During his two seasons in Houston, Wood established himself as one of the most underrated players in the league following a turbulent start to his NBA career. Wood averaged a career-best 19.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, and a block across 31.4 minutes after signing with Houston in December of 2020.
Wood began his tenure as a promising prospect for the Rockets to build around, but the emergence of Alperen Sengun forced Houston to move on from the 26-year-old big man.
Per ESPN, clearing more playing time for Sengun while paring the second-year Turkish native with Jabari Smith Jr. played a significant role in the Rockets' decision to trade Wood to Dallas.
The Rockets and Mavericks match in mid-November will be the first of a handful of games for Wood to prove to Dallas that he is worth the extension. Wood is eligible for a four-year extension with a projected yearly salary of $20.0 million.
"We don't have a guy who does what he does," general manager Nico Harrison said. "There are several guys in the league that can do what Christian does, but he was a guy we saw we could get. He fits a piece we currently do not have on our roster."
Dallas swept their four-game regular season series against Houston by an average margin of 16.5 points during the 2021-22 campaign.
The Mavericks dominated the Rockets while competing in two out of four games without their three-time All-Star Luka Doncic, who averaged 28.0 points per game against Houston.
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