Houston Rockets: The case for, and against, trading Christian Wood

The case for the Houston Rockets trading Christian Wood: Timeline

Christian Wood is 25. That is, indisputably, not old. However, it’s his contract that is off the Rocket’s timeline. While currently making a very team friendly $13 million a year, Wood will be an unrestricted free agent going into the 2023-24 season.

The Rockets are in year one of a rebuild. They’re coming off a season where they were the worst team in the entire NBA. Whether they select Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, or somebody else in the upcoming NBA draft, the odds that they’ll be seriously playing for a championship in two seasons are slimmer than an Evan Mobley and Christian Wood frontcourt.

Meanwhile, all Wood has to do is maintain his current level of play, and he’s going to get paid. Defensive limitations or not, there will be a team who is going to see max value in a center who can roll as effectively as he can pop, control the glass, and provide a speed advantage over most NBA centers. In all likelihood, he’ll be due for the kind of contract teams shouldn’t shell out to a 27-year-old until they’re on the cusp of contention. The numbers, in this case, just may not add up.