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Lakers News: LA Confident Christian Wood Will 'Buy In' This Season

This is a big year for the newest Laker.

Matt Wagner

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Your Los Angeles Lakers signed power forward Christian Wood to a one-year, $2.7 million contract this summer, a deal that could last for two seasons and be worth $5.7 million if Wood exercises his player option for the 2024-2025 season.

Wood brings an advanced offensive repertoire and -- at least -- quality depth to Los Angeles behind superstar big man Anthony Davis.

So why did it take Wood two months to find his next team?

That has to do with his attitude and locker room presence. 

He had a productive two-year stint with the Houston Rockets, and it was thought that he would stay in Houston as the franchise continued their rebuild in the post-James Harden era. 

However, Wood's time in Houston ended tumultuously, and then he headed up to Dallas to join Luka Doncic and, eventually, Kyrie Irving with the Mavericks.

Wood's time there ended badly as well, as the Mavericks went from potential Western Conference contenders to dysfunctional, missing the playoffs last season along the way. 

However, the Lakers are confident they can help Wood put those troubles behind him, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

"The Lakers also are confident they can change Wood. With head coach Darvin Ham, James and Davis setting the tone and culture, the Lakers are optimistic that Wood will buy into the team in a way he’s never fully bought into his previous stops. They think they have the personnel on both ends to maximize his skills on the court."

via 

Jovan Buha of The Athletic

For Wood's part, the southern California native made it clear that he wants to be with the franchise, and he'll join two of the best mentors possible in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

Time will tell how Wood's time in Los Angeles ends up, but the pieces are there, both from a talent and mentorship standpoint, for him to be successful in LA both on the court and in the locker room.

In his first game, Wood looked solid, scoring seven points on 3/4 shooting and nabbing four rebounds. He played 15 minutes.

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Matt Wagner
MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.

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