Does Christian Wood Have a Future With Philadelphia 76ers?

Does Christian Wood have any real future with the Philadelphia 76ers?

Not too long ago, we shared the stories of “not-forgotten former 76ers.” Throughout this grueling rebuilding process for the Philadelphia 76ers, many fan-favorite players who have seemed to have very bright futures, have been cut for other players. Christian Wood was one of those players. Wood made the initial cuts at the beginning of this season, but was released later in the year in order to make room for Elton Brand, a team mentor that would also serve as an occasional player.

But just a few days after that article highlighting Wood and other former Sixers, Wood would get back with the team that took an initial gamble on him after he went undrafted. The trade deadline didn’t work well for the Sixers, as a trade they were involved with fell through, and they lost JaKarr Sampson to free agency throughout the process.

Wood was with the team for just a few days on the terms of a 10-day contract, but then released yet again to make room for Sonny Weems and his contract. Weems seems to have been brought in more for money reasons, and not as a player that is intended to be used, but he was present at Sixers’ practice on Tuesday, so it’s kind of open at this point. If the Sixers were to release Weems, they could sign Wood to another 10-day contract, but it would be the last 10-day they could offer him this season.

More from The Sixer Sense

Either way, it doesn’t look like Wood is gaining any attention from teams around the league right now. The deadline has passed to sign players and have them be eligible for the playoffs, and bad teams that are in the lottery will be in more of a losing mode for the rest of the season to get a better draft pick. So he’s going to have to settle for the D-League if the Sixers don’t make a move on him, although they do seem to have some interest in allowing him some playing time late in the season, possibly to build his trade stock.

The Sixers usually have a large sum of players lobbying for one of the several unclaimed roster spots on the Sixers once the preseason and training camp period comes around, and Wood was one of them this year. There’s reason to believe that he will be one next season, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be easy for him to make the team. The frontcourt is one of the most populated positions for the Sixers, and one of the only positions that has several locked-in players. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel will be back, as will Joel Embiid. Then you also have Dario Saric coming over from Europe, and he should be a lock given all the time and effort the Sixers have put into him. That leaves Richaun Holmes, Carl Landry, and possibly Elton Brand for Wood to compete with. Wood could compete with them, but it’s definitely going to be difficult for him to outdo all of them, especially given some of the positive on-court abilities they have shown this year.

Wood’s NBA journey has been a rough one from the start. He was once projected to be a first-round talent, but went undrafted. He had to work hard to get on the Sixers, and then found himself cut and playing in the D-League. He’s definitely shown that with some inspiration he can succeed, but I’m not sure his career has any potential longevity with the Sixers.

Next: Embiid is Taking it to the Next Level

Honestly, I’ve felt for Wood since he came into the NBA. I’ve always felt like he’s been dealt a rough hand of cards, and I want to see him succeed. He’s not going to find that success with the Sixers. Having to overcome Nerlens, Jah, Saric, and Embiid is a tough task, and he’s not going to get any exposure on the Sixers because of their large concentration of talent in the frontcourt. I see Wood possibly coming back to the team at some point, but if he does he won’t ever be anything more than a bench player that plays 5-10 minutes a game, or he’s going to be used as a trade pawn.

I hope Wood has something happen like what happened to JaKarr Sampson — he gets waived or traded, but finds a decent home that fits him and allows him to have opportunities at success.