Did Dallas Mavericks make a mistake in trading for Christian Wood?

Will the Dallas Mavericks get anything for Christian Wood?

Wood will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but what is his market? The Rockets reportedly tried to trade him for two years before Dallas offered a first-round pick for his services. The Mavs put him back on the trade block after acquiring Kyrie Irving, but they could not find a deal before this season’s trade deadline.

Eight teams are projected to have cap space (subscription required), but they are rebuilding teams that figure to have little interest in the 27-year-old. Other teams could create cap space to sign him long-term or they could try to work out a sign-and-trade with the Mavericks.

It only takes one team in free agency, but can he find the team that offers more than the mid-level exception? The Clippers were rumored to be interested at the deadline, but they are a luxury tax team. Acquiring him via sign-and-trade would hard cap the Clippers, which is likely a non-starter for LA.

The most likely scenario is Christian Wood departs via free agency this summer, and the Dallas Mavericks get nothing back in return. They will have his Bird Rights, so the Mavs could outbid others for his services, but they clearly don’t see a long-term fit next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.