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

If you’ve been on the internet over the past couple of months, and have even a passing interest in the Houston Rockets, you’ve probably come across the question: should the Rockets trade Christian Wood?

Wood’s journey to being the best player on the worst team in the NBA last season was, to say the least, unorthodox. Undrafted, unappreciated and infamously dumped in 2015, nobody expected this man to boast averages of 21 points and 9.6 rebounds on a sterling 51.4-percent from the field and 37.4-percent from deep a mere six years later.

It’s inspiring and it’s been the brightest spot in a dark season for a spoiled Houston Rockets fan base. Yet, it’s entirely possible that Wood will find himself with a new address before the 2021-22 NBA season begins.

Even the acquisition of the number two pick in the NBA lottery brings little clarity. There are as many fans excited about a long, skilled, interchangeable Evan Mobley and Christian Wood frontcourt as there are those asking who guards Jokic in the 2024 Western Conference finals.

If you like Jalen Green, you may or may not think James Wiseman’s upside serves the squad more than Wood’s current abilities. And if you prefer Jalen Suggs…you might want to keep that to yourself online.

Like many frequently asked questions, there is no clear answer, and that’s exactly why we keep asking them. Let’s look at the case for, and against, the Houston Rockets trading Christian Wood this offseason.

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.

The case for the Houston Rockets trading Christian Wood: Trade Value

Remember the 21 points per game on highly efficient shooting we previously mentioned? Contenders will pay a premium for those. At 25, even some bubble teams in need of a center may be willing to do the same. Wood’s trade value has never been higher, and there’s a strong probability that it never will be.

A cursory glance at some popular hypothetical trade proposals might have Raphael Stone salivating: PJ Washington and the 11th overall pick. James Wiseman and the 7th overall pick. Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija. For a rebuilding club, that is tremendous value, and, potentially, too tremendous to pass on.

Frequently, teams lose leverage in trade negotiations when it becomes apparent that there is a sense of urgency around making a deal. Then again, any Houston Rockets fan reading this article just learned that lesson the hard way.

There is a real strategic advantage in trading a player when his value is peaking. A Wood trade may not be popular with a sizeable portion of the Rockets’ fanbase, but if it benefits the team in the long run, nobody will hold it against Raphael Stone when the Rockets are back to playing for the NBA championship with somebody else manning the five.

The case for the Houston Rockets trading Christian Wood: Defense

A point among Rockets fans that’s almost as contentious as whether or not to trade Wood, is what position Wood should play. At 6’10 and 214 pounds, Wood finds himself almost precisely between the modern five and the traditional four spot. On the offensive side, his tweener status is a blessing: he has the mobility and speed to get around traditional centers, and he has the length and stoutness to bully opposing fours.

On the defensive end, it’s a slightly different story. He’s a little too weak to function as an effective rim protector, and he’s not quite quick enough to keep up with the modern NBA’s more perimeter-oriented fours. This early in a rebuild, Raphael Stone has to be forward thinking. Wood is ultra talented, but could his defensive limitations hamstring a contending Rockets team in the years ahead?

NBA championships are generally won by the team with the most stars, and the least flaws. A valuable starter functioning as a defensive liability is, to put it lightly, a major flaw.

In fact, Rockets fans have become all-too-familiar with an all offense, no-defense mentality. For the next iteration of contending Rockets, whenever they may come, it might be advantageous to have a starting center who can bang with opposing fives on the low block and consistently protect the rim. To put it differently, if you missed Clint Capela last season, you might prefer James Wiseman to Christian Wood. Now, onto why trading Christian Wood shouldn’t be in the Rockets’ plans.

The case against the Houston Rockets trading Chrisitan Wood: Age

Consider this the other side of the timeline coin. For a second time: Christian Wood is a mere 25 years old. Rebuilding teams need to put a premium on young talent. In Christian Wood, the Rockets already have it. Why trade away one of the only young players with any All-Star upside currently on the roster (shout out to Kevin Porter Jr)?

Not to mention he has already bonded with this group, after enduring a painful 2020-21 season. He has an understanding of Coach Silas’ system and expectations. Simply put, he is already a Rocket, and at 25, that does nothing to compromise the ultimate goal of rebuilding a contender.

Most importantly, Wood still has ample time to improve, and if his career so far is any indication, the safe money is on him doing exactly that. If he comes back next season with 10 lbs more of muscle, ready to protect the rim, scrap for rebounds, and generally provide all the qualities expected of a conventional center to go along with that 37% three-point shooting, Stone should want him to be doing so in a Rockets uniform. Simply put, Wood is young enough to be part of a young core. On a related note:

The case against the Houston Rockets trading Chrisitan Wood: Ability

He’s really, really good. Defensive warts aside, Wood is the rare center who is equally as effective whether he rolls or pops after setting a pick. This keeps defenses guessing and enhances the play of whichever ball handler he’s sharing the floor with. Hypothetically, if the Rockets were to draft Jalen Green, Wood’s floor spacing would be a massive boon to an offense built around two aggressive, slashing guards in Green and Kevin Porter Jr.

More than just a secondary weapon, he’s even adept at putting the ball on the floor to create a shot for himself. He is a fringe All-Star talent, and if he doesn’t improve even an iota, that is likely to remain true for another four or five seasons.

Depending on the development of Kevin Porter Jr, whoever the team drafts with the second overall pick, and the rest of the young core, maybe that ends up mattering to a contending Houston Rockets. If, several seasons from now when the Rockets are ready to win, Christian Wood is the team’s third best player, that’s highly likely to be a championship calibre team. Regardless of any criticisms that can be made of his game, Wood is an overqualified third best player by any measure.

The case against the Houston Rockets trading Chrisitan Wood: Culture

The Darryl Morey era was the second-best in Houston Rockets history. It is basically unassailable. Stone, his long-time protégé, would be wise to take several pages from his book.

However, one he may want to rip out, burn, and bury the ashes of is the perception that players are mere assets. It’s time for the analytics-driven, star-hungry Houston Rockets machine to humanize.

That doesn’t mean clinging to bad contracts for the sake of being nice: the NBA will always be a business. It just may well be good business to shift this team’s culture to consider the human element.

The organization’s willingness to cater to James Harden’s whims notoriously alienated valuable role players. Not to mention, Morey’s propensity for wheeling-and-dealing undoutedly left players feeling vulnerable.

Christian Wood is the perfect catalyst to begin that culture shift. The Rockets can take pride in “discovering” him, and stick by their guy. This could be the first step towards building a culture where every player, from the star to the 14th man, takes pride in being a Rocket.

The Rockets enter this offseason with a lot of questions. Some are cause for excitement (who will they take with the second overall pick?) and some are cause for a headache (are they really going to pay John Wall another 45 million dollars?). The question over whether to trade Christian Wood may just be a little bit of both.