Report: The shocking reason Christian Wood landed with Rockets instead of re-signing with Pistons

The Detroit Pistons watched Christian Wood blossom into a potential star at the end of the 2019-20 season, and they seemed likely to re-sign him heading into free agency.

Only, the Pistons put a cap on their offer.

Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports the Pistons were unwilling to Wood more than $8 million annually, eventually paving the way for Wood to head to the Houston Rockets in a sign-and-trade paying him $41 million over three seasons.

It looks like a horrific mistake on Detroit’s part, while the Rockets might have struck a gold mine with their acquistion.

Wood has been dominant in the early portion of this season, averaging 23.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and a steal through his first five games. The 25-year-old has developed a certain comfort level playing alongside John Wall and James Harden, and has even more upside if he can find his perimeter stroke.

Even if the Rockets struggle this year and are forced to move Harden at some point, the young center looks like a legitimate anchor and someone the franchise can build around.

The Pistons, meanwhile, elected to throw dollars at the likes of Jerami Grant and Mason Plumlee. Although Grant has been productive (23.0 points, 5.4 rebounds), his $20 million annual salary looks like a black mark given how well Wood has performed thus far.

Christian Wood is hoping to continue proving he is an elite-level big, and early indications in Houston suggest he is just beginning to discover his full potential.

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