Christian Wood told NBA reporter Marc J. Spears of Andscape that he’s excited to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. The big man also called out the Dallas Mavericks.
Wood is signing a two-year deal with the Lakers, according to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The UNLV product played for the Mavericks last season. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 51.5% from the field, 37.6% from beyond the arc and 77.2% from the free-throw line.
After the 2022-23 season ended, the Mavericks told Wood that they would not be bringing him back. The 27-year-old Wood has career NBA averages of 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists with the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and Mavericks.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Christian Wood, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Wood is a talented scorer and dunker who has All-Star potential if he’s engaged for 48 minutes. He averaged a career-high 21.0 points in 2020-21 with the Rockets.
The Lakers reached the Western Conference Finals last season, where they were swept by the Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles’ front office had a busy offseason, as D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura were re-signed and Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes and now Wood joined the team.
The Lakers are expected to start Russell, Reaves, Hachimura, LeBron James and Anthony Davis next season.
LeBron announced at the 2023 ESPY Awards that he’ll be playing next season, while Davis signed a three-year, $186 million extension with the Lakers this offseason. Davis is committed to Los Angeles for five more years and approximately $270.5 million. Davis’ extension, which kicks in for the 2025-26 season, is the richest extension in NBA history with a projected average annual value of $62 million.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Christian Wood, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Davis signed a five-year, $190 million contract with the Lakers in December 2020. That deal included an early termination option in 2024 and will be fully up in 2025. Davis has the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group) as LeBron, who signed a two-year, $99 million extension with the Lakers last summer.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
