Why Lakers Shouldn't Sign Christian Wood to Contract Amid 2023 NBA Free Agency Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers may have signed Anthony Davis to a contract extension this offseason but the team remains committed to adding a second center behind him and, according to Marc Stein, the front office is interested in signing Christian Wood.

It may not be as easy as see, want, and get, however.

Wood is interested in a bigger role with the Miami Heat, according to Jovan Buhan of The Athletic. Beyond that, he likely wants more than the veteran's minimum contract he would receive from Los Angeles.

It would be easy to take those two things into consideration, as well as perceived attitude issues that forced the team to do extensive background work before expressing interest, and say the Lakers should not pursue the seventh-year man out of UNLV but beyond all of that, he simply does not fit the championship-hungry squad.

Wood has the stats to support the idea that the Lakers would be interested in signing him.

He has averaged 21, 17.9 and 16.6 points per game over the last three seasons, respectively. His three-point percentage has been well-above 35 since 2019-2020 and he has consistently executed over 50-percent of his field goals during that span.

There is no question about his offensive skills. His defense, though, is suspect and therein lies the problem.

Any big man is going to be counted on to contribute defensively and in Dallas, he struggled mightily.

He struggled to stretch the floor and oftentimes looked lost. Some of that can be attributed to the coaching of Jason Kidd and his failure to put him in a position to succeed but beyond that, Wood did not look like the player he was over the two seasons prior, when he played his best ball with Houston.

Those seasons may have been the exception rather than the rule.

In Houston from 2020-22, Wood averaged his best statistical years with 19.1 points, 8.2 defensive rebounds, and a block a game. Prior to that in Philadelphia, Chicago, Milwaukee and New Orleans, he averaged just 9.5 points, 3.5 defensive boards and less than a block a game.

Perhaps the guy that was a significant contributor to Houston in his two seasons there can re-emerge and be a force. The Lakers are a championship-caliber squad, though, and need contributions from every player on the squad.

Bringing in Wood in hopes that he can score and defend, and spell Davis when coach Darvin Ham wants to utilize him at another position on the court, is not a position the Lakers should put themselves in.

Especially if he is reportedly expressing a desire to play somewhere else.