I think it’s a question of whether he starts and plays starter minutes versus just being part of the rotation as a 7th or 8th man. Considering how good Talen is playing at 20, he’s going to be a game changer when it comes to the Lakers roster and rotations.
If he grows enough to be a starter, that opens up great opportunities for the Lakers going forward. He opens the door for the Lakers to put together a trade package that could include Schroder, KCP, and Kzma for a third superstar.
Of course, the grand prize is Talen becomes that third superstar. That’s what the Lakers believe is possible considering how great he is playing at just 20 years old. Imagine him two or three years from now. He’s like the Lakers getting a top five pick in the second round.
Let me make myself totally clear. There is no player whom the Lakers can reasonably obtain who has more upside as a future star and or is a better fit to make the Lakers a better team than Christian Wood, who’s a clone of AD and brings the same talents and skill sets offensively and defensively as Davis. Like AD, Wood is a modern unicorn who can score and defend at every level. Pairing him with AD would give the Lakers a two-headed monster that can score at the rim, from midrange, and from deep and protect the rim, defend the paint, and guard the perimeter. Adding him will double down on the defense and small ball lineups that won the Lakers their 17th NBA championship.
LT in this we are in complete agreement. Been doing some research on the young man and it feels like he could be a perfect addition. Might signal the end of the very short Boogie era, though…
#sadface
I still love to have Boogie for his shooting and passing but I worry about his defense. What makes Wood so intoxicating is he can play offense and defense at all three levels like AD. My only worry is none of these dream acquisitions ever seem to happen. He’s almost too good to be true. But then, so was AD!
I have not seen this Christian Wood kid play since I mostly watch Lakers games, and haven’t done any research on him yet, but if your articles are any indication, there must be something special about him that rains gold. Or should I say purple and gold?
He reminds me a lot of a rawer, lighter, and maybe more aggressive version of Anthony Davis. Only played 45 games his first 4 years and just 62 games this season so sample size is small but the analytics and the eye test are impressive. Can score at the rim, midrange, or from deep. Can protect the rim, defend the pick-and-roll, and defend shooters on the perimeter. Will be in demand, especially by teams looking for somebody like AD but Lakers have a good chance to land him if they want.
One very interesting thing that came up in one of the long conversations Jamie and I were having is how the Lakers effort to get rid of the $5 million cap hold due to Luol Deng and why that could be important. Here’s why getting the league to remove Deng’s hold could mean:
First, the Lakers have no cap space right now but if they can get rid of Deng’s $5 million, it could open the door to the following move:
1. NBA removes Deng’s $5 million.
2. KCP, Rondo, Bradley, and McGee exercise their player options.
3. Suddenly, the Lakers salary commitments would equal $91M.
4. If the cap space is set at $109M, they would have $14M in cap space.
5. They could sign Wood to $14M contract.
6. Then use the $9.3M MLE, $3.6M BAE to sign other players.
Right, but once Bradley opts out, you need to can it with the far-fetched trades.
You know that’s never happening man.
LOL. Ironically, I have nothing in the pipeline that equals the impact of Christian Wood. He’s made all other moves minor imo.
But when his 3 point shot drops back down to earth like every marginal prospect the Lakers have acquired, basically ever, then what?
In his first 4 years, Wood played < 10 minutes per game in only 51 games and took only 42 threes making just 31 for 31%. Not bad for a big. This season he finally got 21.4 minutes per game and played in 62 games, made 54 of 140 threes for 38.6%. Even better as a starter: 40.6% in 33 minutes per game. Big thing is his game is not just 3-point shooting. He can score and defend at all three levels.
If we have learned one singular truism in the NBA it’s this:
Can’t truss anything to be a guarantee in this league
You are absolutely right, Sean. That’s why I like to lean on the side of caution. Sometimes you just have to be careful what you wish for.
I actually updated this article to address the Piston’s limitations in re-signing Wood as well as the Lakers’ options should another team offer him more than the MLE:
…
The Lakers have an excellent chance of acquiring Christian Wood, who’s already announced on Instagram he’s planning on leaving the Pistons, asking his fans which teams he should consider signing with as a free agent. While the Pistons would love to re-sign Wood, who made $1.6 million last season, they only have his Early Bird rights, which means the most they can offer him is around $10 million per year, basically the same as the MLE.
In a normal offseason, Christian could expect offers between $10 to $15 million per year from multiple NBA teams but this is clearly not a normal offseason with financial uncertainty and only five teams having cap space. Most free agency pundits are projecting Wood’s ceiling this offseason to be the $9.3 million non-taxpayer MLE, which the Lakers fortunately possess while many competitors are limited to the $5.6 million taxpayer MLE.
Should one of the five teams with available cap space offer Christian his full $15 million market value, the Lakers should agree to match the offer and work with the Detroit Pistons to negotiate a sign-and-trade to acquire him. The Pistons would certainly prefer to receive Flint, Michigan native Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green’s expiring contact in a sign-and-trade for Christian Wood instead of having him leave as a free agent with nothing in return.
Should the Lakers end up acquiring Wood via a sign-and-trade, they would still have their $9.3 million MLE to add another player plus their first round draft pick. They would want to sign Wood to a three-year deal though to make sure to get his Bird rights going forward. Main thing is Lakers have the assets to land Wood.
McGee from Michigan, as well, toss him on the pile!
LOL. Good idea! I forgot I had to somehow trade him if he doesn’t exercise his option.
Here’s where I’m at with free agency. Rondo get’s huge offer from Clippers because a. they see his value b. there’s no one else in their price range c. just to annoy the Lakers.
GSW will go after Dwight or Boogie, Boogie wil stay with the Lakers and GSW can’t offer enough for Dwight to give up the chance for 2nd ring.
Ty Lue’s reason for turning down the Lakers job was because of money and length of contract yet took a asst coaching job with less money and no long term contract with the Clippers is just telling. Just tells you Pelinka must have super lowballed the guy because Pelinka just wanted to be able say “well, we offered him but he said no” to the fans. If LBJ really wanted him Rob would have moved heaven and earth to get him. Rob never wanted him in the first place too. The guy now sounds like a ass kissing hype man for already superhypeman Ballmer.
Feels like Lue wanted to be paid big money, got left in the cold and took the highest profile job with the best chance of grabbing the reigns while also being in a great learning situation. Who knows though, maybe he was trying to fleece LA a bit…
We need to do whatever it takes to make AD happy and LBJ could be able to play at least 3 more solid years, IMHO.
No the matter, Los Angeles Lakers are 2020 Champs!
Dang, every time I hit return for a new paragraph it goes ahead and post. LT, what am I doing wrong?
Hit SHift+ENter, it now works more like FB.
Dion and THT as the backcourt sounds fine with me if KCP, Avery and/or DGreen can’t start next year for whatever reason. Reggie Jackson is a FA btw. Dragic would be fantastic.
Dion needs to show he’s serious about playing in the NBA, IMO. His little run in the seeding games ended up being all we really ever saw of him and he sat out a lot of games on the in-active list. Might be that the Bubble was giving him migraines, might be he has chronic migraines (hence the edible) but if he can get his head straight and be someone we can count on I’m in favor of him as the backup combo guard.
Reggie would be an awesome signing, too. Lots of quality mid tier talent.
hey LT, your alliteration buys are FAs. Nerlens Noel, Bismack Biyombo
lol, good catch. That’s really funny…
Rondo to the Clippers is on my list of potential outcomes. They’ll have money and need someone to “lead” the team. Not sure where that leaves P-Bev tho…
Do you think Rondo would want to leave Lakers for the Clippers with all that has transpired this postseason with his performance? His chemistry with AD and the team in general would make for an odd marriage with the Clippers if choses to go there. That would be weird. Besides, he just won a championship with us. I just don’t see anyone walking away from such glory and embarking on a lesser prospect.
Ahem. Who first brought Christian Wood to your attention, Hmmmm?
LOL. Yep and I’m looking forward Sunday on bringing that up when we talk about how to land Christian Wood. Great find, Gerald!
Hey LT, good write up. I love Christian Wood. He was one of the few players that made gave that gave me some value in my shared Pistons season tickets…or at least he did in the second half of the season. The first half of the season he was often lost on defense. He’s agile enough to be a good P/R defender, but didn’t put forth the effort consistently. Consequently Dwayne Casey had him on a very short leash. I think the tough love helped, because he gave better effort the second half of the season…and started to blossom even before Drummond was traded. His defense still leaves something to be desired, but as long as he’s focused he’s okay. However, offensively he was off the charts and checked all the boxes as you mentioned. I agree his upside is unlimited. His best games were against Embiid/Horford and Gobert…some tough defenders. The thing I like best about Chistrian is aggressiveness. He wants to score, and loves attacking the rim.
Is he worth signing at 15 mil…which I think he’ll command? It’s risky because of the small sample size and his lack of motivation at times. I think he’s worth the risk and would thrive with Lebron/AD and could eventually be a borderline all-star. However, I think it’ll take more money than we have to get him and I don’t think the Pistons are interested in a sign/trade. Troy Weaver, the Pistons new GM from OKC, has been pretty mum about Wood, but others in the organization have hinted that Detroit will be aggressive in trying to resign him.
LRob, so good to see you post and give us a Motown perspective on Christian Wood. I didn’t know anything about him until Gerald Glassford brought him up as part of a proposed trade for Derrick Rose but the more I found out about him, the more excited I got. And as we all know, when I get excited about a player, I have no hesitation of going all in.
The league’s decision to start the new season before Xmas and only play 72 games so the following season could return to normal could also come into play. Not much time for teams to pull off complicated deals.
It’s a long shot like all blog proposed trades but maybe Christian will opt to sign with LA, get a ring, and showcase his talents for a monster payday next season when everybody will have money. 1-year $9 million and a ring and no bigger stage than Staples to audition for the ultimate pay day. He’s also said he’s leaving via Instagram.