5. Christian Wood, unrestricted
Just a couple of years ago, Christian Wood was a huge free-agent acquisition for the Houston Rockets. In the end, it didn’t exactly work out as they expected and he was soon after traded to the Dallas Mavericks last offseason. The move for Wood didn’t exactly work out for the Mavs either as he wasn’t a great fit with Luka Doncic and the rest of the supporting cast. Now, he’s an unrestricted free agent looking for a new team. The Mavs aren’t expected to pursue an extension with Wood.
Despite the lack of fits with the Mavs and Rockets, there’s still some value for Wood. He’s still just 27 years old and while he may not have the intangibles that both the Rockets and Mavs were looking for, he was still insanely productive. Wood, for all his struggles, is still coming off a season in which he averaged 17 points and seven rebounds on 37 percent shooting from 3-point range.
If there’s a team willing to take a flier on a young productive big, Wood could emerge as a cheap(ish) option. Even more so if the market remains cool. The biggest questions that Wood has in his game fall on the defensive end of the floor. Can a team correct that? If so, it may be worth the gamble.