Former exec and others around NBA agree it was a ‘bit shocking’ to see Lakers sign Max Christie to $32M deal

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, there are folks in NBA circles who share his sentiment that it was surprising the Los Angeles Lakers inked guard Max Christie to a four-year, $32 million deal earlier in the summer.

“The problem was that A) they actually tried him quite a bit (944 minutes across 67 games), and B) he wasn’t any good (8.4 PER, minus-3.6 BPM), such that C) he couldn’t crack the full-strength rotation of what was arguably the worst bench in the league,” Hollinger wrote. “Thus, it was a bit shocking to see the Lakers commit to a four-year, $32 million free-agent deal to bring him back, one that included a fourth-year player option. Talking to some other people around the league, I don’t think I’m alone in this opinion.”

Christie may not have turned heads with his play last season, but he still said last month that he expects to be a “good part” of the Lakers’ rotation in his third year in the pros.

“I think we’re on the same page with that stuff, and I think we’re all in agreement that I’m gonna be a good part of the offense and defense and the rotation just in general, so I’m looking forward to that,” Christie said.

In the 2023-24 regular season — his second season in the NBA and with the storied Lakers franchise — Christie averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

His scoring efficiency as a sophomore wasn’t anything to write home about either, considering he shot 42.7 percent from the field, 35.6 percent from deep and 78.3 percent from the free-throw line.

Christie saw his role with the Lakers shrink after the All-Star break compared to before it. He averaged 17.2 minutes per contest across 43 games played prior to the break, but he averaged only 8.5 minutes of playing time in 24 games following the break.

The 21-year-old was also a non-factor in the Lakers’ matchup against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. He didn’t log so much as a minute of action during the best-of-seven series, and Los Angeles was eliminated in five games.

Keep in mind, he appeared in nine of the Lakers’ games during the team’s stint in the 2023 NBA Playoffs, when the team reached the Western Conference Finals as the No. 7 seed in the conference. During that span, he averaged 1.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

It should be exciting to find out exactly how large of a role Christie will play next season now that the Lakers have a new face leading the team from the sidelines.

Los Angeles hired J.J. Redick — the 29th head coach in franchise history — to replace Darvin Ham, who spent two seasons as the Lakers’ head coach. Redick has zero experience coaching at the NBA level but carved out a successful playing career in the league.