Christian Wood Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Heat could enter race for top remaining free agent amid Damian Lillard trade saga

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 7/20/23

The consensus belief remains that the Miami Heat will ultimately acquire Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. Yet, the drawn-out process has handicapped Miami from being overly active this offseason in hopes of beefing up its Eastern Conference champion roster.

That could quickly change once the Lillard situation plays itself out.

According to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Heat are believed to be potential suitors for big man Christian Wood, "particularly if they’re able to pull off a Damian Lillard trade."

The Bulls and Heat are potential suitors for Christian Wood, per @DanWoikeSports pic.twitter.com/fcREWmWVCd
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 19, 2023

Wood, arguably the top remaining free agent on the market, is reportedly drawing interest from a slew of teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls.

The 27-year-old Wood endured an up-and-down 2023-24 campaign in what appears to be his lone season in Dallas. Despite averaging 16.6 points per game with the Mavericks, Wood struggled to mesh with head coach Jason Kidd's scheme, leading to uneven usage for much of the year.

After starting 109 of 110 games over the two seasons before arriving in Dallas, the UNLV product came off the bench in 50 of his 67 games with the Mavericks. In the 17 games Wood did start, he averaged 20.4 points and 9.4 rebounds.

Makes you wonder why Jason Kidd stopped starting Christian Wood.. pic.twitter.com/GutZJdx9b7
— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) March 27, 2023

In Miami, Wood's offensive versatility would factor in nicely to a frontcourt headlined by defensive ace Bam Adebayo. A former 21 ppg scorer with the Houston Rockets, Wood has shot 38% from beyond the arc since 2021. In comparison, the Heat finished fourth-worst in the NBA with a 34.4% team three-point shooting percentage.

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