Lakers News: Christian Wood Remains Viable Center Option for LA

Will he choose the purple and gold?

As the summer goes on, fans of the Los Angeles Lakers sit patiently as they wait to see who will be the next center that the front office is able to sign. Jaxson Hayes has a lot of potential to be a nice lob threat and legit rim protector for LA next year but next to Anthony Davis, the squad clearly needs another big man on their roster.

Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo have been named the team's top targets for the past month and both have yet to sign with an NBA franchise. In my opinion, Biyombo is the safe option seeing that he's older and you already know what you're getting out of him (experience and defensive value).

However, there are a ton of question marks surrounding Wood and the fact that he hasn't been picked up after averaging 16 points and seven boards on a team led by superstar Luka Doncic should say a lot. There's been a ton of questions surrounding his attitude and locker room presence, which would make it hard for LA to overlook his defensive limitations.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha still believes that there is clear-cut role for Wood if ends up in purple and gold.

"Wood has played at least 20 minutes per game in four straight seasons and would likely be in that range if he were to sign in Los Angeles. Part of the appeal for Wood is the opportunity to rebuild his leaguewide perception under the Lakers’ spotlight. That would require him to have a decent-sized role, at least to start the season. There’s a chance Wood could even start next to Davis, as he’s the only available free agent talented enough to actualize the Lakers’ two-big nostalgia. (Though, again, that would force James to defend an opponent’s top scoring wing, which isn’t optimal.)"

(Via The Athletic)

LA is looking to go all in this season and the clock is ticking on LeBron James' career. Wood is clearly the most talented big out there right now and James has put other players in check before... they should be doing everything they can to sign him.

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