Lakers insider on Christian Wood’s reputation around NBA: ‘Anyone you talk to just kind of starts s——g on him’

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood doesn’t have the best reputation around the NBA, according to The Athletic’s Jovan Buha.

“He has this certain perception around him around the league,” Buha said of Wood. “And obviously, he did not have a market, otherwise he would not have opted in for a minimum player option. You don’t opt into a minimum player option if you have a market. So, there’s some red flags for sure with the Christian situation, and I see a path to it working out. I just also am like, ‘Why has he not been able to stay in most situations for more than a year, year and a half? Why does he have this bad reputation around the league where anyone you talk to just kind of starts s——- on him?’”

Since entering the NBA in the 2015-16 season, Wood has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Lakers.

His longest stint with any team was with the Rockets, as he spent two seasons with the franchise before he was traded to Dallas for the 2022-23 season.

Wood is a talented player (he’s finished in the top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting and Most Improved Players voting twice in his career), but he hasn’t been able to find a long-term home in the NBA.

The Lakers took a low-risk move last offseason by signing Wood to a one-year deal for the minimum while giving him a player option for the 2024-25 season.

Last season, Wood appeared in 50 games for the Lakers and made one start. He averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 30.7 percent from 3-point range.

A career 37.2-percent shooter from beyond the arc, Wood figures to be a player that could fit in the Lakers’ frontcourt alongside Anthony Davis since he’s able to stretch the floor. However, he played just 17.4 minutes per game last season under Darvin Ham.

It’s possible that Wood could see his role expand under new Lakers head coach J.J. Redick, but he also needs to prove that he deserves to play more minutes.

Now that he’s in the final year of his contract, Wood may want to work on rebuilding his reputation across the NBA before he hits free agency again next offseason. If he does that, it’s possible that the Lakers may want to retain him beyond this season, especially if they have playoff success in the 2024-25 campaign.