Knicks Rumors: 3 forwards linked to New York in free agency

New York Knicks free agent target: Christian Wood

There are member of the Knicks front office who are reportedly enamored with Christian Wood, a 6-foot-10 power forward who was having a breakout season with the Detroit Pistons before the coronavirus pandemic shut everything down.

What’s attractive about Wood is that his unconventional path to becoming a sought after player puts him in the free agent market at only 24-years-old. After going undrafted in 2015, he worked his way to the NBA, signing ten-day contracts and playing in the G-League.

He finally got an opportunity in Detroit this season, playing in 62 games, and earning starter minutes once Andre Drummond was traded.

Over the final ten games of the 2019-20 season, he looked like a star, at least on a bad team, scoring 24.2 points per game on 57.8% shooting, while pulling down 9.8 rebounds and blocking 1.1 shots. As the Knicks look for a big man who can stretch the floor, Wood shot 38.6% from downtown on over two three attempts per game.

It will be interesting to see what Wood commands as an unrestricted free agent, given the small sample size of success, but young age. He could prove to be a nice addition for New York as someone arriving in free agency with their best days ahead of them instead of in the rearview mirror.