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Knicks Rumors: Pros and cons of pursuing Christian Wood in free agency

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Christian Wood #35 of the Detroit Pistons in action against Taj Gibson #67 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 08, 2020 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Pistons 96-84. 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 Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Christian Wood #35 of the Detroit Pistons in action against Taj Gibson #67 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 08, 2020 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Pistons 96-84. 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 Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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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. (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. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

Con: The Sample Size

The New York Knicks have an extensive history of overpaying players whose star potential was flashed within a limited sample size. The most glaring example of this was Jerome James, whom the Knicks signed to a five-year, $30 million contract after just one postseason run.

As such, one can’t help but wonder if the Knicks would be doing something similar by signing Christian Wood during the 2020 NBA offseason.

It’s entirely possible that Wood is the real deal, as his leap to relevance spans the length of what’s essentially a full NBA campaign. In saying that, he appeared in just 51 games between the 2015-16 and 2018-19 regular seasons.

Wood was active in 62 of the Detroit Pistons’ 66 outings in 2019-20, but even still, the sample size is both limited and scattered—a concerning combination in any context.

Clearly, the Knicks could circumvent this issue by handing out a team-friendly contract of some sort. The Pistons are likely to want to re-sign Wood, however, which means New York may need to pay above market value to get something done.

If that proves to be the case, then the Knicks may want to think twice about committing to a player who hasn’t sustained a high level of play just yet.

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