3 best deals on first day of 2020 NBA free agency
By Mike Luciano
2. Christian Wood, Houston Rockets: 3 years, $41 million
At this time a year ago, Christian Wood was fighting and clawing to even get on an NBA roster. After a few months of proving his worth with the Detroit Pistons to the tune of 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in just 21 minutes per contest, the 6-foot-10 forward has decided to join the Houston Rockets, leaving as part of a sign-and-trade that gives Houston a big man that it so desperately needed.
While the 215-pound Wood is not going to bang down low in the post for 35 minutes a night, he’s a better option than 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker, and his skill-set will allow head coach Stephen Silas to keep pushing the pace and shooting 3s at will given his 39 percent 3-point clip. Wood just turned 25, meaning that his best basketball is still firmly ahead of him.
The Pistons might’ve resigned themselves to losing Wood, as he could’ve pried himself out of the range that a team clearly in rebuild mode wants to spend, but their decision to give Mason Plumlee $25 million makes allowing Wood to leave for a few million more seem quite puzzling. Detroit’s loss is Houston’s gain, as the Rockets are adding one of the best young big men on the market for a surprisingly economical contract. If James Harden and Russell Westbrook remain in town and reconcile their differences, Houston should be a contender once again, and Rafael Stone will have passed his first few tests as general manager with flying colors.