3 under-the-radar free agents who could change the 2023 NBA offseason

Under-the-radar NBA free agents: 1. Christian Wood

Since 2020-21, Wood has scored 3,192 total points, blocked 185 total shots, and shot 38.1 percent from 3. No other player in the NBA reached all three of those benchmarks.

If we take away the 3-point percentage qualifier, he is still on a list with only four other players: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Kristaps Porzingis.

Suffice to say, Wood is a special talent. A center, who can be an elite scorer inside or behind the 3-point line, is a rare commodity in this league. So, teams should be fighting to pick up this borderline All-Star. However, Wood’s rumored reputation and odd history appear to have affected his value.

Bleacher Report ranked him as the 18th-best free agent on the market, behind a number of role players. Hoops Hype echoed a similar sentiment, ranking him as the 22nd overall free agent.

As I previously mentioned, Wood has an odd history. Despite his apparent talent, the Dallas Mavericks, who had virtually no depth, kept Wood in a limited role last season. He averaged 25.9 minutes per game, which was seventh on the team. The decision was not based on Wood’s impact, either. He posted a Box Plus-Minus of plus-1.7, which was the third-best on the team (minimum five games) trailing only Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Additionally, there have been negative rumors surrounding Wood’s locker room presence. However, the only fact behind this argument is centered around an isolated incident during his time with the Houston Rockets. According to The Athletic, Rockets assistant John Lucas criticized Wood’s effort level at halftime, and Wood refused to sub into the second half of the game.

Last season, Doncic had plenty of positive things to say about Wood. In November, he called him an “amazing player”. In January, Doncic applauded Wood’s attitude on the court:

"“He doesn’t get mad at me when sometimes I yell at him, and that’s what I appreciate… Sometimes it’s hard to be with me on the court probably. I just want to win. He appreciates that.”"

Wood looks like a potential steal on the free agent market. He is an elite player, who should not command a “star-level” contract.

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