Why did the Mavs hold onto Christian Wood, Tim Haraway Jr. beyond trade deadline?

Despite being the subjects of trade rumors for weeks, Mavericks veterans Christian Wood and Tim Hardaway Jr. have remained with Dallas beyond this year’s trade deadline. Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News notes that their futures with the club are somewhat murky.

Caplan notes that Hardaway’s inefficient play has made him and his remaining contract money tough to trade. Wood, meanwhile, is eligible for a four-year contract extension worth up to $77M through the rest of the season, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. A source tells Caplan that the Mavericks front office has not offered Wood an extension yet, in an effort to maximize flexibility this summer.

There’s more out of the Lone Star State:

• The Spurs opted to ship center Jakob Poeltl to the Raptors, rather than have to pay him in free agency this summer, in part because the team reportedly was not comfortable paying the rim-protecting center over $65M, per LJ Ellis of Spurs Talk. Ellis indicates that San Antonio believes the bidding price for Poeltl will go well north of that sum.
• New veteran Rockets additions Danny Green, Justin Holiday and Frank Kaminsky could ultimately be retained by Houston, reveals Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The Rockets are set to assess if Green would like to remain on their roster, their general policy with veterans they’ve traded for in the recent past. Houston likes the possible fit of Holiday even past 2022/23, and Kaminsky has a connection with head coach Stephen Silas, thanks to their shared time on the Hornets.
• The Pelicans made just one trade deadline deal, acquiring swingman Josh Richardson from the Spurs. William Guillory of The Athletic reveals that New Orleans intends to bring Richardson, a free agent, back into the fold next season as well. Team president David Griffin decided to not make major deals at the deadline with an eye towards the team’s future when the club will hopefully have more experience playing together.