The Los Angeles Lakers officially signed Christian Wood on September 6 and the former Dallas Mavericks big man is excited to play for the purple and gold.
In a statement to Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Wood talked about joining the Lakers. He also called out the Mavericks.
“I’ve always wanted to be a Laker,” Wood said. “I know we can win a championship. Communication with a coach is a big key. Coach (Darvin) Ham and I go back to our Milwaukee days and we’ve had great conversations every day 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 motivated after what Dallas did.”
Wood appeared in 67 games for the Mavericks last season. He averaged 16.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 51.5% from the field, 37.6% from 3 and 77.2% from the free-throw line.
The Mavericks didn’t make an offer to Wood once free agency started after acquiring him from the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2022. Wood has career averages of 14.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists with the Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, Detroit Pistons, Rockets and Mavericks.
Proposed Trade Lands Mavericks Former MVP & 10-Time All-Star
On September 2, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report posted a column called “Realistic Trades That Would Shock the NBA In 2023-24.”
In the story, Buckley proposed that the Mavericks trade Kyrie Irving to the Sixers for James Harden.
“What if the Sixers and Mavericks tried scratching the other’s back in a one-for-one swap of scoring guards? It would certainly be an interesting plot twist in the Harden sweepstakes and the latest of many surprises in Irving’s career,” Buckley wrote. “It just might work, too.”
“Irving’s superior scoring punch and ability to deliver on the playoff stage could be more appealing to Philly, since it won’t want to run Embiid ragged and could want to increase Tyrese Maxey’s playmaking responsibilities. Dallas also might covet Harden’s distributing and ability to get to the free-throw line. Both could ease the offensive burden on Dončić, whose 35.6 usage percentage is tops all-time among players with 2,000-plus career minutes.”
Harden has requested a trade from the Sixers and wants to get traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. However, Philadelphia can trade Harden anywhere since the former MVP and 10-time All-Star doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his contract.
In 58 games for the Sixers last season, Harden averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 10.7 assists. He led the NBA in assists per game for the second time in his career.
Irving re-signed with the Mavericks on the first day of free agency this offseason on a three-year, $126 million contract. The eight-time All-Star and NBA champion has a 15% trade kicker in his new contract with Dallas, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.
Luka Doncic’s Teammate Claims Mavericks Superstar Is ‘Really Taking Care of His Body’
According to Doncic’s Slovenian teammate Mike Tobey, the Mavericks superstar is “really taking care of his body” and has improved his nutrition this summer.
Doncic looked noticeably slimmer while playing for Slovenia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
“I’d say I feel he’s a little bit more rested,” Tobey said, via Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.net. “He looks fresh and in shape, he’s really taking care of his body and himself a lot more seriously this summer. You can tell it by his nutrition, by how he looks: he’s in a lot better shape. I really see a big step forward in that part of his professionalism. He seems to be more focused.”
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Christian Wood Breaks Silence on Joining Lakers, Takes Shots At Mavericks