As the NBA world enters the month of August, not much action is set to happen in terms of roster adjustments. Many teams have filled out who will be on their roster and are not looking to make any moves with the free agents that remain unsigned, which is not necessarily the best news for a player like Christian Wood.
Obviously the top free agent still remaining this offseason, Wood entered this NBA offseason as one of the better frontcourt players available alongside Brook Lopez and Jakob Poeltl. Both of them received $20 million per year contracts, yet Wood is on the verge of having to take a minimum-like contract.
Despite having to prove himself time and time again in this league, Wood can still contribute to many contending teams. As a result, if he is willing to take a small, one-year contract, he could wind up being the steal of the offseason for a team like the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fresh off their unexpected run to the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers have proven that they are wanting to make the moves it takes to field a championship contending roster. With LeBron James not getting any younger, this is exactly what they plan to do. GM Rob Pelinka has completely flipped this roster around twice since the start of the 2022-23 season and Los Angeles ended up being big winners of the offseason with the moves they made.
Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura are all back with the Lakers, Gabe Vincent replaced Dennis Schroder and the added depth of Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and Taurean Prince will prove very valuable in this team's title hunt.
With how competitive the league is today and how even teams are, all it takes sometimes is one difference-maker. Here is why Wood could be this type of player for the Lakers.
Lack of frontcourt depth
The Lakers currently have 13 players under contract for the 2023-24 season. Of those 13 players, only two of them are true big men in Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes. While Los Angeles has spoken highly of Hayes and his skillset, they are still wanting to add another impactful talent in their frontcourt.
In fact, this team could really benefit from a player who can spread the floor and be a threat to score out on the perimeter at the center position when Davis is not on the floor. This describes Wood perfectly and the Lakers have been eyeing his status as the offseason goes on.
It seems very reasonable to believe that Los Angeles wants to sign Wood to a minimum deal, but the hold up on things could be the fact that he feels like he deserves more. After all, he has averaged 18.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game while shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range over the course of the last three seasons with the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks.
Regarding his impact in the Lakers' frontcourt, Wood is an obvious choice for this organization because he can be an instant source of production offensively behind Davis on the depth chart. Whereas Hayes is more of an athletic, springy center, Wood would be the more poised, better scorer that instantly gives Los Angeles options on how they want to utilize their rotations every single game.
While he does have some yellow flags that come up from time to time defensively, Wood is definitely the ideal player for the Lakers to use one of their final roster spots on.
Wood's position versatility
Perhaps the most intriguing trait from the Lakers' perspective that comes with potentially signing Wood is that he can play alongside Davis. Maybe this is not the ideal fit or role Los Angeles would want from him, but Wood can play the power forward position or be the center with Davis at power forward. This would create a taller, lengthier lineup for the Lakers that could really punish smaller teams who are not as well-equipped in their frontcourt.
Offensively, as already mentioned, Wood has the ability to hurt his opponents in different ways. He's demonstrated that he can be effective rolling to the rim in pick-and-roll sets and he's especially dangerous popping out of screens and hitting three-point shots. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, he has shot 38.3 percent from deep on over four attempts per game.
His shooting numbers are definitely above average for a big man and Wood's ability to be a secondary rebounder alongside Davis would make him especially valuable as the Lakers' sixth man. One of the better rebounding teams in the league a season ago, Wood's arrival could make the Lakers the best rebounding team during the 2023-24 season.
Whereas Hayes is more of a pure center who always attacks the rim, Wood having the ability to stretch his game to the perimeter also opens up the floor for others. LeBron and Reaves are both great passers who always tend to find success attacking the lane off pick-and-roll sets. With Wood by their side now, they become even more dangerous because of how unpredictable the Lakers' offense would be.
Wood could roll, he could step out on the perimeter or he could be a factor creating second-chance opportunities at either the power forward or center position. This type of player coming off the Lakers' bench is very intriguing.
Los Angeles is a contending team
At the end of the day, the Lakers are going to be adding a player, either Wood or someone else, who can come in and instantly impact winning. As long as James and Davis are on the floor, the Lakers truly believe that they can win another championship and last season's trip to the Western Conference Finals proved this.
They may have been swept by the Denver Nuggets, but the fact Los Angeles was one of the final two teams standing in the West after being near the bottom of the league standings speaks volumes. Having the entire offseason to prepare for the season ahead and get acclimated with one another, we are going to see a much better and stronger Lakers team during the 2023-24 season.
Wood is the best free agent remaining and he was one of the better offensive players available entering this offseason. For a team like the Lakers who are wanting to contend at the highest level possible and need frontcourt help, it should be a no-brainer to sign Wood for the upcoming year, that is if he's willing to accept a minimum deal.
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