Christian Wood remains one of the best free agents still on the market, a center who averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a game last season for the Mavericks, and he shot 37.6% from 3.
Woods seemed on a path to land with the Lakers, joining Jaxson Hayes in backing up Anthony Davis at the five. Miami had been rumored as well. However, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times said the Bulls could come in as a suitor.
This is all about the money for Wood. The Lakers or Heat could only offer Wood the veteran minimum ($2.4 million), but the Bulls have $6.2 million of their mid-level exception left, their $4.5 million bi-annual exception, plus they could use part of the $10.2 million disabled player exception Chicago just got because Lonzo Ball will be out for the season. (The Bulls are $7 million below the luxury tax, history suggests they will not cross that line.) This is not a leverage play by Wood’s camp, the Lakers can only offer the minimum, they have nothing else.
Chicago starts Nikola Vucevic at center and has Andre Drummond to back him up, Wood would bring a needed scoring punch off the bench.
Despite his scoring, Wood faded out of Jason Kidd’s rotation in Dallas last season because of his lack of defense ( a thumb injury also set him back).
With either the Lakers or the Bulls — or any other team that steps up to pay him — Woods can thrive in a defined role as a bucket-getting sixth man off the bench. He would be a steal for the Lakers at the league minimum and the Bulls may come in and pay him closer to his value. Woods is going to go where the paychecks are bigger.
