Houston Rockets: 3 Realistic Trades of Christian Wood

Houston Rockets Christian Wood Trade #1

This is a trade that could Bucks could really push for. The Bucks certainly value Brook Lopez over Christian Wood, but due to back surgery, there is no telling what his future holds. This deal only happens if the Bucks believe Lopez is toast for this season. They’re a title contender and can’t waste an opportunity at a ring waiting for a key rotation piece to get healthy. 

What makes this trade so easy is that Wood and Lopez are on nearly identical contracts. Both have two years at around $13 or $14 million per season. When salary matching isn’t a problem it makes deals a lot less contentious. 

Wood fits the Bucks incredibly well on offense. His ability to hit threes will allow Giannis Antetokounmpo to thrive and he offers Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and, possibly, Giannis a lethal pick-and-roll partner. While Wood is nowhere the rim protector Lopez is, Giannis can help clean up for some of his mistakes. 

The Bucks are in win-now mode, and win-now teams offload future first-round picks to, you know, win-now. A future second-round pick and the Bucks' next conveyable first-round pick is not a slam dunk draft return. Next conveyable may mean never conveys, but it’s a worthy gamble to take because the Bucks could be one of the worst teams in the league by 2029. 

However, Brook Lopez isn’t a scrub and will have trade value once he’s healthy. If he comes back next season and shows he’s as healthy as ever, he could land the Rockets a future first for sure. 

The risk for the Rockets is if Lopez is never the same and the Bucks’ first never conveys. It’s a gamble for both teams, but the Bucks have plenty of second-round picks and maybe two or three of those could entice the Rockets. 

These are not the only realistic trades of Chrisitan Wood. Plenty more are out there and as Rockets fans you should dare to dream.