Miami Heat Target Christian Wood Signs 2-Year Deal With Los Angeles Lakers
Veteran forward Christian Wood was floating in free agency the last few months. His top destinations were between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers officially signed him to a two-year, $5.7 million contract, per The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.
Wood is projected to be in the frontcourt with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, or be a backup forward off the bench. Either way, he alleviates pressure off Davis’ shoulders by giving Los Angeles another big man to consistently score. If Wood starts, the bench would feature Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaxson Hayes and Taurean Prince, giving the Lakers solid depth for another championship run.
The only thing truly impeding the Lakers would be injuries and drama, two factors that held them back in previous years.
The Heat missed out on a potential offensive producer. Wood averaged 16.6 points last season on 51.5 percent shooting. He could've replaced veteran Kevin Love in the starting lineup, aiding the Heat's last-place scoring unit. He also averaged 7.3 rebounds, which could help Miami's size and rebounding issues. His defense is below average but the Heat need offensive upgrades.
The Heat have bigger plans in their attempts to acquire superstar Damian Lillard, but it may be turning their heads away from smaller moves to improve the unit. Fans better hope the Lillard trade goes through, or they’ll lose out on solid pieces for nothing.
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
