With Christian Wood trade, Mavs ditch draft, fill major need before offseason even starts

The Mavericks have made their 2022 draft-night choice — greater than every week earlier than the June 23 occasion.

Dallas will commerce its first-round decide (No. 26 general) and reserves Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Sterling Brown and Marquese Chriss to the Houston Rockets for middle Christian Wooden, a supply confirmed to The Dallas Morning Information on Wednesday evening.

The deal meets one of many Mavericks’ main objectives this offseason — to improve their frontcourt manufacturing and depth — and offloads the expiring contract of a number of little-used gamers.

Dallas and Houston can’t formally full the commerce till draft evening as a result of the Mavericks owe the New York Knicks a top-10 protected decide in 2023, and the NBA prohibits groups from buying and selling first rounders in consecutive years.

However followers didn’t wait to reward basic supervisor Nico Harrison and the Mavericks’ transfer.

The 26-year-old Wooden began 67 of 68 video games for the Rockets final season and averaged 17.9 factors, 10.1 rebounds and one block per recreation whereas taking pictures 50% from the sector and 39% from three.

The 6-10, 214-pound huge man is ready to make $14.3 million for the 2022-23 season — the ultimate yr of the three-year, $41 million deal he signed earlier than the 2020-21 season.

Then, the Mavericks earlier front-office regime had curiosity in buying a participant whose expertise hadn’t at all times translated to consistency whereas enjoying for 5 groups — Philadelphia, Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Orleans and Detroit — in his first 4 NBA years.

However within the final two with Houston, Wooden has averaged 19.1 factors and 9.9 rebounds per recreation whereas bettering his 3-point taking pictures share to a career-high 39% in 2021-22 in a career-best 68-game season.

That’s the sort of manufacturing the Mavericks wished for throughout their run to the Western Convention finals.

Beginning guard tandem Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson and 3-and-D wings Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock exceeded expectations in the course of the franchise’s first multi-round playoff look for the reason that 2011 championship, however contributions from the middle spot lacked.

Dwight Powell remained a starter all through — and performed in all 100 of the Mavericks video games in the course of the season.

However his enjoying time decreased considerably in matchups in opposition to the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors when the Mavericks turned to small-ball lineups and seemed for extra 3-point taking pictures manufacturing.

That left coach Jason Kidd to run energy ahead Maxi Kleber at middle — when he wasn’t in foul bother — or flip ultra-small with Finney-Smith because the 5.

Harrison and Kidd additionally pointed to the group’s rebounding struggles as causes Dallas misplaced the convention finals in 5 video games.

“For those who look again on the collection, we misplaced some video games on the boards,” Harrison mentioned in his exit interview Could 27. “That’s essential. We have to get any person that may assist us on the rebounds, be a rim protector. I believe we have to determine that out, for certain.”

Wooden instantly slots in as a possible starter — with little disruption to the rotation.

Marjanovic ($3.5 million), Burke ($3.3 million), Brown ($3 million) and Chriss ($2.2 million) are all getting into the ultimate yr of their offers. They ranked because the Mavericks’ 4 least-used gamers within the postseason. None logged greater than 3.8 minutes per recreation — and infrequently on the finish of blowout outcomes.

Coupled with the No. 26 general decide’s rookie scale contract (projected to be about $1.9 million in 2022-23), the contract math matches Wooden’s wage, and the Mavericks fortified their largest roster gap earlier than the league’s offseason begins in earnest.

In: Wooden, who will probably be eligible for a four-year, $77 million extension six months after the commerce is conveyed, in accordance with ESPN.

Out: Expiring belongings to a rebuilding franchise that desires to offer its younger frontcourt prospects extra enjoying time anyway.

The one concern?

Marjanovic and Doncic had fashioned an particularly shut friendship throughout their three overlapping seasons in Dallas.

They bonded over their Balkan roots, Serbian language and goofy personalities.

Gained’t the franchise celebrity be upset to see his good buddy go away?

Harrison made clear he would seek the advice of and replace Doncic on all roster strikes.

“We’re going to have one million issues up on the board, and we’re going to throw concepts backwards and forwards,” Harrison mentioned throughout his exit interview. “You have a look at Luka, as nice as he’s, he has a special viewpoint than perhaps I might and perhaps [assistant general manager Michael Finley] would and perhaps even JKidd would, so we wish to embrace that.

“After which we would have a special viewpoint than he does, and we wish him to grasp that, as nicely. I believe it’s a two-way avenue. I believe you’re loopy to attempt to construct a roster and never embody your greatest participant. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Barring one other commerce, Dallas won’t add a participant through draft for a second consecutive yr as a result of Harrison and Co. traded their 2022 second rounder to Washington within the Kristaps Porzingis-Spencer Dinwiddie-Davis Bertans deal final February.

However the Mavericks gained’t stand pat throughout free company.

Harrison has highlighted re-signing Brunson — the Mavericks’ lone free agent on the 15-man roster this offseason — because the group’s No. 1 precedence.

They’ll even have a $10.9 million commerce exception (set to run out June 29 from final yr’s Josh Richardson deal) and a luxury-taxpayer mid-level exception accessible.

Luxurious, certainly, as a result of Wooden’s arrival will render their largest place of want not.

Twitter: @CallieCaplan

Discover extra Mavericks protection from The Dallas Morning Information right here.