NBA Rumors: Damian Lillard trade could open door for Christian Wood to join Heat

NBA Rumors: If the Miami Heat are able to land Damian Lillard under the right circumstances, it could open the door for Christian Wood’s addition.

It’s still somewhat of a mystery as to why Christian Wood is still available as a free agent. He may not have had his best season a year ago with the Dallas Mavericks but he’s proven to be a capable offensive threat in the league and the fact that there’s a very real chance he ends up playing for the veteran’s minimum next season is pretty crazy.

However, there may be one outcome (aside from a potential sign-and-trade scenario) that could have Wood playing next season for a bit more money than just the minimum. Unfortunately, that outcome is almost entirely out of his control.

It’s in the hands of Portland Trail Blazers Joe Cronin and the Miami Heat.

If the Wood does end up signing for the minimum for next season, the belief (according to a recent report), is that the Los Angeles Lakers are still considered to be the favorites. But if the Damian Lillard shoe drops soon, and under the right circumstances, there’s a chance Wood’s focus could shift to the Miami Heat.

Why Christian Wood may be waiting on Damian Lillard

At least for now, it doesn’t seem that a Lillard deal is close to being done. However, as it’s pointed out in an article by Heavy.com, there could be some added incentive for Wood to wait out this process a bit.

In the article, it lays out how the Heat could offer Wood more money if the right contracts are sent out in the Lillard deal. For example, if Miami is able to clear out Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry, and Tyler Herro for just Lillard in return, they’d be able to clear enough space from under the “second-apron luxury tax” to offer Wood a deal starting at around $5 million per season. That’d be more than the veteran’s minimum that is currently available for Wood.

Again, this seems like a somewhat unlikely and uncertain scenario but with training camp still a couple of months away, at least for now, there isn’t a necessity for Wood to make a decision just yet.

And if Lillard does get moved and the Heat can do some added salary cap gymnastics in the process, perhaps Wood will get the opportunity to play for something above the minimum this season.

Nevertheless, it seems that Wood is another player that may be waiting around to see how exactly this Lillard situation plays out over the next few weeks.