Dallas Mavericks: Re-sign Christian Wood to extension (debate)

It’s decision time in Dallas. Now that the required time has passed since the initial acquisition, the Dallas Mavericks are free to make moves regarding their biggest offseason addition, Christian Wood.

Wood, a free agent after this season, has carved out a nice role on the Dallas Mavericks as of late. He’s meshed well with All-World superstar, Luka Doncic, and has played a key part in the Mavs current hot streak.

Why the Dallas Mavericks must re-sign Christian Wood to an extension this season

Today we are debating the future of Christian Wood and whether or not he should be re-signed this season. Earlier, we made the case why the Mavs should NOT give him an extension. Now we discuss why they absolutely SHOULD.

The way things are, the Dallas Mavericks have three avenues to take with Wood:

1. Re-sign him to a multiyear deal, committing to him being a top-3 player on a roster that can compete for a championship
2. Trade him at the deadline for someone they’d rather build around
3. Make him prove it all year and make a decision in the summer.

Based on social media conversations amongst MFFLs, it’s safe to say the third option is the most hated. The idea of losing Wood for nothing is too much to take for many and something Mavs fans are painfully familiar with (see also: Jalen Brunson).

Option No. 1 makes perfect sense on paper. Wood has been a good player as of late and his attitude and defensive effort buck his reputation as a singularly focused offensive player with attitude issues.

Finding someone to pair with Luka is always important since Luka is everything to this Dallas Mavericks team. But it’s not just getting along that’s important, it’s how well they work together from a production standpoint.

As Kevin O’Connor points out, the Doncic-Wood duo is the most efficient pick-and-roll pairing in the NBA. The second most efficient? Why that’s Dinwiddie and Wood. For a team that relies so heavily on pick-and-rolls, Wood plays an enormously important role on offense.

The issue is – how long do they extend Wood? According to Tim McMahon at ESPN, the Mavs have interest in re-signing Wood to a two-year extension worth $36 million. This is the max annual commitment the Mavs can make per league rules.

From a Mavs (and fan) perspective, this is ideal. It’s not a long-term commitment, keeps the band together, and doesn’t lock the Mavs into a potentially-poor contract. The Mavs already have ugly contracts they regret and can’t unload, they don’t need any more.

Any deal made has to be seen as a legit commitment to be seen through its entirety. He won’t be tradeable.

If Wood demands a longer commitment, that’s where things get hairy. Suppose he holds out for four-years, are the Mavs still interested? This doubles the risk and prevents the Mavs from adding a superstar alongside Luka anytime soon. If Wood implodes, the Mavs are up a creek.

As we discussed earlier in Part 1, NBA executives do not see Wood in a favorable light, meaning he’s going to be virtually untradeable. Any deal made has to be seen as a legit commitment to be seen through its entirety.

Which brings us to Option 2: This is the safest route because it avoids commitment, but how much can the Mavs really get from a guy GMs are universally afraid of? There’s no way the Mavs can recoup his production in a trade.

Conclusion

The Dallas Mavericks have to push for a two-year extension BEFORE the trade deadline. He’ll be 29 after it concludes and in line to sign a max long-term deal while he’s still in his prime so it should be seen as digestible to him.

If Wood’s side plays hardball and demands four-years, the Mavs play hardball back and threaten to trade him at the deadline. This would further damage is reputation, all but assuring less money on his next deal. Keep in mind, eight teams in eight years is not a formula to get paid.

Two years in Dallas repairs his reputation, pays him handsomely, and sets him up for max money down the road.

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If you didn’t read Part 1, be sure to check it. Which side are you on and what are you willing to do to get it done? Let us know in the comments