Mavericks' Christian Wood Says He Hopes He's Not Traded amid Clippers Rumors

Dallas Mavericks forward Christian Wood is aware that he's been the subject of trade discussions recently, but he's hoping to stay put.

Wood told reporters on Monday that he's been trying to talk to head coach Jason Kidd and general manager Nico Harrison as much as possible before Thursday's trade deadline.

When asked what he's heard from either of them, Wood responded, "Uh, nothing. I hope I'm not traded."

NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Mavs tried to include Wood in Sunday's trade with the Brooklyn Nets for point guard Kyrie Irving and power forward Markieff Morris, but Brooklyn was not interested.

"The Nets refused Dallas' attempts to ship them Christian Wood's expiring contract or one of its less palatable long-term deals held by Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dāvis Bertāns," Stein stated.

Wood is set to make his return from an eight-game absence in Monday's matchup against the Utah Jazz. He had been sidelined since Jan. 18 with a fractured thumb.

Prior to his injury, he had settled into a groove as Dallas' starting center after starting the year as the team's sixth man. He had scored 20 or more points in nine of his previous 12 appearances before going down.

In 42 games with 17 starts, Wood is averaging 18.4 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 53.5 percent from the field. While his production has been solid, the Mavs were hoping the 27-year-old would emerge as a star next to All-Star guard Luka Dončić when they acquired him from the Rockets over the summer.

The arrival of Irving takes the pressure off Wood to be the secondary option for the Mavs. However, the team still needs to evaluate whether he is a part of its long-term plans, as it runs the risk of losing him in free agency after the season.

If Dallas doesn't want to re-sign Wood to an extension, the likelihood is that the team would look to move him before Thursday's deadline to recoup some assets.