NBA Rumors: Christian Wood On The Radar Of Mavericks' Western Conference Rival

Christian Wood has come into Dallas this season and delivered with his usual strong offense: 18.4 points on 38.5% shooting from distance. But whether he'll be a Dallas Maverick after this Thursday's trade deadline is seriously in question. And according to NBA Insider Marc Stein, the Los Angeles Clippers are "monitoring" Wood's status closely.

ICYMI: Rumors: Clippers interested in Christian Wood. #MFFL #Mavs https://t.co/18BafocM3Q

— The Smoking Cuban (@thesmokingcuban) February 5, 2023

Wood is eligible for a 4-year contract extension worth up to $77M. But a deal between Wood and the Mavs does not appear to be close. And if the team feels that no agreement is forthcoming, they'd be best to deal him by this Thursday, or lose him for nothing. 

Wood has missed eight games with a thumb injury, but is close to returning. 

The Clippers are searching for scoring, and another big man to help them in their playoff push down the stretch (in addition to a point guard). They're in need of an offensive boost, as they rank 24th in the league in offensive rating thus far. The addition of Wood would certainly answer that call, likely from the bench unit, which is where he toiled in Dallas for the first couple of months of the season. 

The other big question here is do the Mavericks really want to strengthen the rival Clippers heading into the playoffs? LA knocked Dallas out of the postseason in two consecutive years prior to last season. 

The Mavericks lost their second-leading scorer in free agency last season (Jalen Brunson), getting nothing in return. It would be a huge blow if they suffer the same fate again this year. They need to make a decision and act quickly. 

Just over four days and counting. 

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