Lakers/Twitter
Long entangled in the rumor mill as an unrestricted free agent, Christian Wood has finally secured his place with the Los Angeles Lakers, inking a two-year deal with the team as reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Tuesday.
The floor-spacing big man averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game on 51.5% shooting from the field in 67 games for the Dallas Mavericks last year. While Wood had some issues with his role on the Mavericks, he now has a chance for a fresh start with the Lakers, a team desperately seeking extra help for superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Sharing his statement for the first time since his signing, the 27-year-old Wood confidently expressed that the Lakers can secure a championship this season. He highlighted that maintaining open communication with the coach will be crucial to their success.
“I’ve always wanted to be a Laker. I know we can win a championship. Communication with a coach is a big key. Coach Ham and I go back to our Milwaukee days and we’ve had great conversations everyday about this opportunity. He believes in me and told me I’ll be playing a big role and knows what I can do. I’m looking forward to this and fasure (for sure) motivated after what Dallas did.”
Christian Wood statement to @andscape about signing with the Lakers. The former Mavericks forward opted not to discuss his former team. pic.twitter.com/YvV1BJvgDH
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 6, 2023
