The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to terms on a two-year contract with talented big man Christian Wood last week. The move came as a surprise to no one, as rumored ties between Wood and the Lakers existed for several weeks prior to the signing becoming official.
The only surprise was the amount of time between the first rumored mutual interest and when the ink eventually hit the paper. In the typical NBA offseason, moves tend to happen quickly, especially when it comes to veteran minimum contracts and final roster spots ahead of training camp.
But reportedly, before Wood committed to the Lakers, he first needed to wait for a couple larger dominos to fall. It was those dominos — two major trades in particular — that kept Wood and the Lakers on the hook until last week, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
Once it was clear Wood might be available for the minimum, he became the Lakers’ top target for their third big spot. Over the past couple of months, Wood had been weighing the fallout of potential Damian Lillard and James Harden trades, including the possibility that he’d find a situation with a greater role and/or a salary above the minimum, according to league sources. But with Lillard still in Portland and Harden still in Philadelphia, it was time for Wood to make a decision. He chose the Lakers.
Damian Lillard and James Harden both have standing trade requests with their respective teams, the Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers. In Lillard’s case, a trade once seemed inevitable, but a lack of assets from top suitors have stalled talks longer than expected.
Harden, meanwhile, opted in to the final year of his contract with the 76ers under the expectation that he would be traded. But Daryl Morey was unable to find a trade to his liking, and it is increasingly likely that he remains with the team this season.
With both of those trade situations being unclear, it makes sense for Wood to go with the best offer on the table, which was the Lakers.
Now, he has to prove that his troubles in Dallas, Houston and Detroit were a matter of circumstance.
Tristan Thompson reportedly heading back to Cleveland
Another option for a big man for the Lakers this offseason was to bring back Tristan Thompson, who spent a small portion of the 2022-23 season in L.A. But with Wood signing in L.A., Thompson chose to move on and return to his former Cleveland Cavaliers.
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