The Los Angeles Lakers have made some solid moves during free agency, especially when it comes toteam-friendly deals. They re-signed Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and D’Angelo Russell to team-friendly contracts while signing solid bench options like Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, and Jaxson Hayes. But they could be looking to add another piece to their team.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers might be interested in signing Christian Wood to a minimum contract. He noted that while he hadn’t heard much interest for Wood across the league, he had heard rumblings that the Lakers could try and land the former Mavericks player on a veteran’s minimum contract
“To be honest, I haven’t heard a thing about him since earlier in the week. The last thing I heard was that there was some Lakers minimum interest. I have not heard about the minimum. I’d be surprised. I’m a big Christian Wood fan…”
“I think he’s a bit misunderstood. But I also don’t think there is an NBA front office out there that wants to pay more than the minimum right now. I would be surprised, I really would.”
(From 23:03 mark)
Christian Wood hasn’t found a steady home in the NBA so far, bouncing around to quite a few teams. There was a lot of excitement when he first signed with the Dallas Mavericks. But he failed to deliver on a regular basis during his time in Dallas and now will have to earn a massive contract in the future by taking a minimum.
How Would Christian Wood Help The Lakers?
Christian Wood would give the Lakers some much-needed size and depth on their roster. Outside of Jaxson Hayes and Anthony Davis, the Lakers do not have any major bigs who can play at the power forward or center positions. And Wood can be a player who can play at either and provide solid minutes if used correctly.
Last season, Christian Wood averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He has shown that he can provide solid numbers and play defense but hasn’t done so on a consistent basis to warrant anything more than a minimum contract.
Wood would add depth to a Lakers squad that has built itself quite nicely. In fact, Stephen A. Smith believes the Lakers can go back to the Western Conference Finals this year, commending their signings. The Lakers will get the chance to make another championship run when the new season begins in October.
