For all the excitement surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the 2026-27 season, even faithful fans understand that the team’s roster is not a finished product.
To their credit, the Lakers made plenty of moves over the offseason, addressing many key areas, one of which being the frontcourt with the addition of rising star big man Walker Kessler. L.A. made a number of free agent signings to add youth and athleticism around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
With preseason almost here, it doesn’t seem like the Lakers are angling to make a move for an impact player. But that isn’t all bad. L.A. will assess the state of the roster over the first few months of the season and, depending on need, could look to make a major trade around the midseason deadline.
Could Lakers Bring Back This Young Star Around the Trade Deadline?
It was nearly the buzzer of the trade deadline when this player was sent away in a trade. Lakers fans perhaps didn’t know the caliber of player he was at the time, but in his time with the Dallas Mavericks since being traded to Los Angeles, Max Christie has developed into a legitimate rising star who has real potential to contribute to a championship-contending team.
Lakers reporter Jovan Buha named Christie among his five potential Lakers trade targets at the February deadline.
“I’d throw in Max Christie,” Buha said during Tuesday’s episode of “Buha’s Block.” “… Max, I think, would make some sense. “
While a reunion with Christie would excite a lot of Lakers fans, Buha conceded that the 23-year-old Mavs guard might be like adding another type of player the Lakers already have multiple of.
“Although he would be more in competition with (Quentin) Grimes. I’d be interested in Max, but I don’t know if he’s exactly what they need for the fifth starter. I think it’s kind of similar to (Matisse) Thybulle. He’s more athletic than Thybulle, he’s a better rebounder than Thybulle, but to me, he’s probably more in competition with Grimes.”
Christie averaged over 12 points per game and shot over 40 percent from the 3-point line last season, and he is only going to continue getting better. The Lakers already boast strong guard depth, so adding Christie would solve a pressing need, but his scoring and upside alone could make him an awesome trade target.
Would Mavs Send Christie Back to L.A.?
This is where things get weirder.
For the Mavs, trading Christie, a player with legitimate star potential, back to the Lakers would only add insult to injury when it comes to the Doncic trade. It already feels like Dallas surrendered one of the greatest players in franchise history for nothing; trading Christie anywhere, let alone to the Lakers, would look hysterically bad.
But if irony and optics were somehow not a concern for Dallas, then yes, the Lakers could register trade interest in Christie, whom they drafted in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft.
Especially if things aren’t working out with the newly-signed Collin Sexton by midseason, then a player like Christie becomes a more attractive target because he could play a significant role off the bench.
But let’s not fail to mention that even if the Mavs were open to trading Christie, they would ask for a healthy return.
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