Finally, finally, finally! What seems to be a hopeless offseason for Christian Wood finally comes to an end. Wood, 27, agrees to a two-year $5.7 Million contract to play the Los Angeles Lakers in a minimum veteran deal. The news broke out after NBA insiders Bobby Marks (ESPN) and Adrian Wojnarowski revealed that Christian Wood is indeed going to Hollywood. The former Dallas Mavericks star’s new contract with the Lakers will include a player option for the 2024-2025 NBA season. Did the Lakers get their money’s worth on this one or will this be another failed experiment?
23-24: $2,709,849
24-25: $3,036,040 (P)
Wood can reestablish himself with a strong Laker team and enter free agency once again next offseason.
Depth of bigs include: Anthony Davis, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and now Wood https://t.co/yKp9Fewcfh
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) September 6, 2023
Free agent F/C Christian Wood has agreed on a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell ESPN. Deal includes a player option.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 6, 2023
Lakers signing Christian Wood late in the offseason: Yay or Nay?
Last season, Christian Wood averaged pretty decent numbers. The 6-foot-10 center put up 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 51.5% from the field and 37.6% from the trifecta. Good numbers, right? However, after being overlooked by teams in the 2023 offseason, fans have been asking what’s wrong with Wood. A young big man who can score at will and create his own shows is not being picked up? Well, we also discussed in our previous article some reasons why Christian Wood was still a free agent up until now.
There could be a lot of reasons why, but we think Wood being a defensive liability is what’s keeping him from becoming a star. Moreover, he is an “empty stats” guy, which means he can put up great numbers in trash teams and his production still won’t translate to winning. In addition to that, there are rumors that Wood is a locker room problem. Although nobody has stepped out and specifically said that, there could be some truth to it. Looking at him, Christian Wood seems like a black hole nobody wants to even take a look at. His stocks plummeted and his aspiration of getting a great contract is out of the window.
However, picking up Christian Wood is a huge win for the Lakers
LeBron James and the Lakers were very close to the NBA Finals despite a very underwhelming start for the 2022-2023 season. If it weren’t for the Denver Nuggets, they would have gotten farther. Right after the playoffs, Rob Pelinka is definitely making great moves in the offseason for Los Angeles. First, he locked in on Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Jarred Vanderbilt. Then, he was able to get nice players by signing Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish. Wood joining LeBron means the Western Conference has a bigger threat.
Players with 20+ PPG and 2+ BPG as starters last season:
— Christian Wood
— Anthony DavisNow, they’re teammates. pic.twitter.com/9WcD3GKm9M
— StatMuse (@statmuse) September 6, 2023
Here’s why we think Christian Wood is a good pickup for the Lakers:
- Despite the problems surrounding him, Wood is undeniably a skilled basketball player. He’s got a good feel for the ball and can make his own shots. Also, the 27-year-old center is a good stretch big, which means more floor spacing for the Lakers.
- He’ll be a good backup center for Jaxson Hayes or Anthony Davis. Hayes, a 7-footer, is an extremely athletic guy who has proven to be a lob threat. Meanwhile, Davis is undeniably a superstar who may lead this team to another championship. If Wood can co-exist with these bigs, he will for sure be unstoppable as a second fiddle.
- Taking only a small amount of money ($2.7 Million to be exact) in his first year with the Lakers is already a win. Just imagine signing a guy who averages 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds in 7 seasons for just the minimum!
On the other hand, this isn’t only a win for the purple and gold. This could also be a potential boost for Wood’s stock as a player. If he flourishes with L.A., then he could explore free agency in 2024 and find a better contract instead of being paid the minimum.
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