The Detroit Pistons should pursue Christian Wood
As with most free agent conversations involving players who will earn somewhere between the minimum or the maximum, there comes a point when a certain dollar amount becomes uncomfortable for one or both parties. For the Detroit Pistons and Christian Wood, there’s a good chance we’re going to find out what that number is.
Wood was outstanding at times last season, especially after the Pistons traded Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers and he became one of the few NBA-capable bodies they could put on the floor. The Pistons lost, and lost a lot, after that trade in spite of Wood’s sparkling performances, but he didn’t have much help.
Numbers are all over the place when it comes to estimating Christian Wood’s free agency value. ESPN’s Bobby Marks says he should expect a first-year salary around $9.5 million, in the vicinity of the mid-level exception. Kevin Pelton (Insiders paywall) rates him as the third-best free agent in the class, behind Gordon Hayward and Anthony Davis but ahead of Brandon Ingram.
The fact of the matter is that the Pistons need to sign Wood to a deal that is tradeable later. As they look to accumulate assets and rebuild in a smart way, Christian Wood will likely hold more value to them on the trade market than on the floor, so retaining him in a fashion that maintains that utility is critical.
Pistons general manager Troy Weaver says he has a number in mind for Christian Wood, and it’s ok if it’s a lot. Just as long as the Pistons are confident that it’s an amount that makes his contract tradeable down the road.