Christian Wood was one of the last stars left on the market to get acquired during free agency. Since the start of the off-season, he was linked to a couple of teams, especially the Miami Heat. Sources claimed that the center was interested a in role that would’ve opened up if they acquired Damian Lillard. However, he had no other choice but to let go of the idea of joining the Heat. Especially since there hasn’t been any progress in the trade.
The other team that was willing to give Wood a shot was the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka had his eyes set on acquiring a third center to complete the roster. It was said that they targeted Wood for a while but the only thing that held them back was the player’s desire to join the Heat. A few days ago, he was acquired by LA for a minimum veteran two-year $5.7 million deal. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal includes a player option for the 2024-25 season.
OFFICIAL: Christian Wood – Los Angeles Laker. pic.twitter.com/9F82LoZcY2
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 6, 2023
This would be an interesting situation to sort out for Darvin Ham, as to who will fill out the starting center position. On one hand, they have Rui Hachimura, who exceeded expectations during the NBA playoffs last season. And on the other, the Lakers have Christian Wood, a player capable of delivering 18 to 19 points per game consistently. Sources claim that LA is expected to start Hachimura over Wood. But things are bound to change over time.
Christian Wood revealed the truth behind his underwhelming Mavericks stint
Christian Wood is generally known as an exceptional offensive player, while his defense can be nonexistent at times. During his stint with the Dallas Mavericks, his numbers took a bit of a plummet averaging 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. This was significantly lower than usual as he also came off the bench. Several people claim that Wood’s time in Dallas was a failure. And according to him, it was Jason Kidd’s fault for how badly the Mavericks concluded the season.
He told Andscape, “I’ve always wanted to be a Laker. I know we can win a championship. Communication with a coach is a big key. Coach [Darvin] Ham and I go back to our Milwaukee days, and we’ve had great conversations every day about this opportunity. He believes in me and told me I’ll be playing a big role and knows what I can do. I’m looking forward to this, and motivated after what Dallas did.”
While Christian Wood did not refer to Kidd directly, it is quite obvious that he had a problem with the head coach in Dallas. Another issue that sources claim Wood faced was not getting the desired minutes on the floor.
Last month, Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban claimed that the team did not suffer because of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Cuban claimed that everybody besides the superstar duo had no idea of their roles, Wood included. It would be interesting to see how the Lakers choose to utilize Wood next season.