As the free agency buzz surrounding veteran big man Christian Wood begins to heat up this summer, the Los Angeles Lakers remain one of the favored destinations for the Long Beach-born Nevada native. A gifted scorer at 6-foot-10, Wood has averages of 18.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game over the past three seasons while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range.

In terms of the free agents that remain available, there may be none that are better equipped to provide the Lakers with an offensive boost.

However, while Wood's skillset and capabilities are well-known, so too are the characteristics that have led him to still being on the market in the first place.

To that point, Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Woike says that the Lakers have done “significant background work” on Wood.

Citing the concurrence of Wood and Darvin Ham's tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018-19; Wood and Anthony Davis's tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2018-19; Wood and assistant coach JD DuBois's tenure with the Detroit Pistons in 2019-20; and multiple members of last season’s Dallas Mavericks staff that have close ties to the Lakers organization (including with Davis and LeBron James), Woike adds that the Lakers are well-versed on “what he has done, what he hasn’t, what he can and what he can’t.”

“Wood’s contributions on defense are lacking, frustrating former coaches and teammates,” Woike says, expounding on his report. “And two, there seems to be a disconnect between what Wood thinks of his place in the league and how the league as a whole views him. There are related concerns about his professionalism.”

If the Lakers do end up signing Wood, it certainly won't be a move without its share of risks.