EL SEGUNDO , Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a two-year, $5.7 million contract with free agent forward-center Christian Wood on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He will make $2.7 million this season and roughly $3 million in 2024-25 with a player option.
Wood surprisingly remained a free agent through the NBA Summer League after averaging 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in 67 games last year with the Dallas Mavericks. He will add much-needed depth at the big man position for the Lakers.
It’s always been my dream to be a Laker
— Christian Wood
After the news broke on Tuesday, the 6-foot-10 center tweeted “It’s always been my dream to be a Laker.” He has made his rounds in the NBA over the course of his seven-year career. The Lakers will be Wood’s eighth team. He most notably made a name for himself as a reliable offensive weapon during the 2020-21 season that he played with the Houston Rockets. That season he averaged a career-high 21.0 points per game.
Wood, 27, was born in Long Beach and briefly attended Los Alamitos High School before transferring to two prep schools, Knight High School and Findlay Prep.
The Lakers have also acquired 7-footer Jaxson Hayes, forwards Cam Reddish and Taurean Prince, and point guard Gabe Vincent this offseason. The addition of Wood brings the Lakers’ roster to 14 players heading into the season.
