Toronto Raptors: Three free agent big men to consider this offseason
Christian Wood
Christian Wood is not a household name. He is likely more famous for testing positive for Coronavirus than anything he has done on the court. But Wood is set to cash in this summer.
Wood left UNLV after his freshman season. He went undrafted in 2015. Since that time, Wood has bounced around the G-League and had a cup of coffee with several different NBA teams.
Wood was waived by the New Orleans Pelicans last July. The Pistons claimed him off waivers and invited him to training camp. In the end, Wood had to beat out Joe Johnson for one of the final spots on the Pistons’ roster.
Wood didn’t see much time early in the season. Then in January, Blake Griffin had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The Pistons followed that up, by trading Andre Drummond to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second-round pick and a bag of chips. Since that time Wood has flourished.
In 17 games since February, Wood has averaged 19.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game. He is also shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range, on 3.8 attempts per game.
None of this should be surprising for anyone that has been following Wood’s career. Wood averaged 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over the final seven games of last season with the Pelicans.
Their decision to waive Wood was a bit surprising, but the team already had Derrick Favors, Jahlil Okafor and no. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson on the roster. That didn’t leave much room for Wood.
Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer recently wrote about Wood’s ascension from obscurity to a legitimate starter. At just 24 years old, Wood has all the tools for a stretch-5 in the modern NBA.
Wood measured 6-foot-10.5 (in shoes) at the draft combine. He also recorded a 7-foot-3.25 wingspan. Wood is long and athletic. On offense, he is capable of finishing at the rim or stepping out to space the floor. On defense, Wood secures rebounds and can protect the paint.
Ian Begley of SNY.tv reported that some in the New York Knicks’ front office is enamored with Wood. The Knicks project to have significant cap space this summer. However, they won’t be the only team interested in Wood’s services.
The appeal of someone like Wood is obvious. Given his skillset, Wood is capable of playing in any number of different lineup combinations.
For a team like the Raptors, Wood could slot in at center and play alongside Siakam and Anunoby. Nick Nurse could also look to go big and play Wood at the 4, next to either Ibaka or Gasol, depending on who re-signs.
The problem for the Raptors will be price. Wood is coming off a two-year, $3.16 million contract. Wood will be looking to get paid this summer and he might be out of the Raptors’ price range.
Unless Toronto renounces all of their free agents, the most the team can offer Wood is the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. Given the relatively weak free-agent class, there is a strong possibility that at least one team will offer Wood a multiyear deal starting north of $10 million annually. As such, the Raptors may need to look for a cheaper alternative.