Getty Head coach Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks with Max Christie #10.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ second-year swingman Max Christie is generating trade buzz amid his rising play.
“Max Christie, the second-year guard who has played his way into the rotation, has value and fans around the league, but his restricted free agency this summer suppresses some of his worth,” Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike wrote on January 13.
Woike quickly added that Christie would be an accessory in any type of deal.
The 22-year-old unheralded guard is averaging 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists since the calendar flipped to 2024. Twice he scored 14 points over the Lakers’ last six games and had played closing minutes.
In their close 132-131 win over the Toronto Raptors on January 9, Christie made some clutch plays.
“It felt good,” Christie told reporters after the game. “I haven’t been in that scenario in a little while…But I hadn’t been in at the end of the game in a tight game in a while. So, it felt good to sort of feel that adrenaline. I had that big offensive rebound, made one of the two free throws. It felt good to be out there when it mattered most. It felt good to just be out there. I felt the adrenaline and sort of leaned into it and had a good time, obviously, winning the game.”
The 35th pick of the 2021 NBA Draft, Christie has worked his way up into coach Darvin Ham’s rotation earning 19.7 minutes of playing time in January.
Dejounte Murray Trade Could Be Expanded
Lakers’ trade target Dejounte Murray could be used as a trade bait to clear the Atlanta Hawks’ books.
According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, a former front-office executive with the Memphis Grizzlies, the Hawks could use Murray as the bait to dump Clint Capela or De’Andre Hunter.
“League sources say the Hawks have had continued chatter on potential Murray deals,” Hollinger wrote on January 14. “Some will tell you they’re getting close to the finish line, while others will say the Hawks are still on a fishing expedition to determine the trade value for him and other key players (such as Hunter and Capela).
The overly optimistic extensions for Capela (one more year left at $22.2 million) and Hunter (three years left after this one for a total of $70 million) also have handcuffed the Hawks’ team-building. Part of the appeal of trading Murray just months after he agreed to a four-year, $114 million extension is that his contract could be the bait to stuff Capela or especially Hunter into a deal.”
Anthony Davis Takes Blame on Lakers Latest Loss
Despite finishing with his first triple-double of the season, Anthony Davis took ownership of the Lakers’ 132-125 loss to the surging Utah Jazz on January 13.
“Everyone did their job except me. I didn’t do my job,” Davis told reporters in the locker room. “Obviously, Bron’s out. Everyone has to step up, and those guys did – except myself. So this one’s on me.”
With LeBron James (ankle) out, the Jazz focused their defense on stopping Davis. The Lakers big man missed 16 of 21 shots yet he still wound up with 15 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists and four blocks.