According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers have signed Christian Wood to a two-year deal with a player option for the second season of the deal. L.A. has been flirting with signing Wood since the start of the offseason. The Lakers now go into this season with different options to put at the starting or backup center position.
Woods' play has often been characterized as empty stats. He's shot better than 50 percent for his career and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc, averaging 14.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. He's also joining his eighth team for his eigth season.
Wood is an offensive weapon in this league that teams have been scared of throwing big money at or committing to because he can be a defensive liability (despite the fact that he blocks shots) and reportedly has an attitude problem.
How much playing time will Christian Wood get with the Lakers?
The Lakers will certainly give Wood a chance to earn playing time in training camp. L.A. does not want to play Anthony Davis at the center position more than it has to. Davis has a lot of injury concerns and when he plays at the 5, those worries can get enhanced. If Wood is able to play a suitable starting or backup 5 for the Lakers, those concerns might go away.
L.A. also has Jaxson Hayes and can use Rui Hachimura or Jarred Vanderbilt at the center spot in small-ball lineups. Vanderbilt is a solid option but he struggles so much on the offensive end that it makes it him hard to play. In a playoff series, it may get hard to play him heavy minutes. Hachimura is a solid power forward but does not have enough size to control the boards in the playoffs.
Jaxson Hayes played solidly with the Pelicans for two seasons but he was caught in the middle of a logjam and couldn't really get minutes last season. Hayes has shown flashes at times and could end up being the starter but the job is completely Wood's for the taking. If he can make the most of his opportunity he could be a very sneaky good signing for the Lakers.
