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Knicks reportedly “enamored” with Detroit Pistons forward Christian Wood

By Nicolas Henkel

DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 8: Christian Wood #35 of the Detroit Pistons grabs a rebound against Mitchell Robinson #23 and Elfrid Payton #6 of the New York Knicks during the first half at Little Caesars Arena on February 8, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 8: Christian Wood #35 of the Detroit Pistons grabs a rebound against Mitchell Robinson #23 and Elfrid Payton #6 of the New York Knicks during the first half at Little Caesars Arena on February 8, 2020, in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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It was expected that the Detroit Pistons big man would warrant some interest from teams as we enter free agency, and the Knicks are first.

It was reported by Ian Begley of SNY TV that the New York Knicks are reportedly interested in signing Christian Wood away from the Detroit Pistons this summer.

While the Pistons will have plenty of money to re-sign him, it comes as no surprise that they’ll be in competition with other teams with cap space to sign the big man. Wood was having a stand out season in Detroit and people were taking notice.

The Knicks infamously tied up $114 million with three power forwards last summer in the span of a few days. With some of their futures currently ambiguous in New York, Wood could be a piece they look to add.

"Taj Gibson has $1 million of his $10 million contract for next season guaranteed, and Bobby Portis has a $15.7 million team option for next year. So New York could have just two big men on the roster (Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson) going into free agency."

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The Pistons received calls at the trade deadline from both the Rockets and the Celtics regarding the availability of Wood. So taking that into account along with this new development, there remains a very real chance that he could find himself in a new city next season.

However, Detroit holds two advantages over the competition. For starters, they own his early-bird rights, which means they can exceed the salary cap in order to re-sign him.

The other thing the Pistons have going for them is the simple fact that they’re the first team to give him a legitimate shot in the NBA. This is his fifth team in just four seasons, and he finally found a situation where he’s able to thrive.

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Nothing is going to change that either. No matter who Detroit drafts or signs in free agency, Wood will continue to be their featured big man. He’ll continue to see the minutes he saw in the last month, and his volume won’t change much either.

While it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that someone could poach him, the truth is that he’s best suited for what the Pistons have to offer.

When you take a step back and look at it, it’s truly rather bizarre that Wood went from being a player who we weren’t even sure if he’d make the roster on opening night, to someone who’s now highly sought after by NBA teams.

What exactly his contract could be at this point is relatively unknown. We tried to determine an appropriate figure a few months ago, but ever since Andre Drummond was traded he flipped a switch that we didn’t know existed.

His dominant play, posting career highs in points three times in the span of a week, has bumped his value to an currently unknown level.

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But again, whatever that figure is, Detroit will be able to pay it without any issue.

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