Lakers Bet On Success With Christian Wood

After a lack of interest in the free agent market, the Lakers signed center Christian Wood to a two-year, $5.7 million deal with a player option on the second year in the first week of September.

Wood comes to L.A. after spending the last two seasons in Dallas where he averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds in just over 25 minutes per game. He came off the bench for the Mavericks and will do the same with the Lakers. 

This signing could make an impact on LA's season, though. Scroll down to find out how.

Impact On Lakers' Odds

Prior to acquiring Wood, the Lakers held the sixth shortest odds to win the NBA title at +1200 and the fourth shortest odds to win the Western Conference at +750 on DraftKings. Don’t tell Wood, but that’s exactly where the odds still sit today, meaning his addition doesn’t make a big enough impact to adjust the market.

But then again, unless you’re a high-level starter, not too many players are going to drastically affect the odds at this point of the year. 

That said, I like this move for the Lakers and think that he can help them have quite a bit of success this season. With this likely being one of LeBron James' final few years in the league, it’s win-now time for the purple and gold. But what has been the biggest thing holding this team back from winning?

Well, a few different things, but one of the main aspects is their health. Not only is James old, but Anthony Davis isn’t a spring chicken anymore. Every time he takes a tumble, he seems to get injured and is out for a good chunk of time. Wood will serve as Davis’ primary backup. He’ll also move into a starting role anytime Davis is out for load management, which is quite a bit considering the Lakers don’t care about the regular season in terms of winning their division. They’re focused on the big picture and having a healthy roster for the postseason. Wood’s presence in those games is going to be huge, because a lot of L.A.’s losses last year, leading to a play-in seed, came when Davis was in street clothes. 

When Davis plays, Wood will get solid back-up minutes and be a huge part of the team’s offense when the second unit is on the floor. After all, averaging almost 17 points in 25 minutes is pretty impressive. However, the reason adding Wood is a bit of a gamble is that he hasn’t always gelled with his teammates in the past according to numerous reports. For a team that has championship aspirations, chemistry is huge. If Wood doesn’t buy into his role on the team, this acquisition could backfire. 

All that said, whether or not the odds reflect it, I think Wood makes the Lakers a better team. I like their chances of getting back to the Western Conference Finals and at +750 to win the West, we’re getting a great price on a team that just improved. And if the Lakers and Wood find success early, that number won't be around for long.