Lakers News: Insider Suggests Not All LA Personnel Was On Board With This Signing

Fair enough.

Following your Los Angeles Lakers' 129-126 preseason victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times openly wondered if LA would be able to maximize newly-signed power forward/center Christian Wood, who played as a reserve behind a starting frontcourt of LeBron James, Taurean Prince, and Anthony Davis.

The 6'10" big man inked a two-year, veteran's minimum deal to join the franchise he had grown up loving, after an apparent summer-long courtship. It's unclear if he actually left richer deals on the table, however, given his prolific body count, as the kids say (seven teams in seven seasons) and a growing reputation as an empty-calorie, good-stats/bad-team player.

Indeed, as Woike points out, Wood struggled to maximize his looks as a pick-and-pop jump shooter with LA's second unit against Brooklyn.

"[Rookie guard Jalen] Hood-Schifino, playing in his first NBA action, was a tick slow with his decision making and missed the big man, who was in a perfect spot for a rhythm three. That kind of shot never materialized for him again," Woike writes. "Instead, Wood’s buckets came off tough one-on-one shots — a skill he 100% has. But it’s probably not the skill they need most."

One wonders if this legitimate basketball fit reason is why, as Woike indicates later in the same piece, some Los Angeles personnel (he leaves the group fairly broad, so it's unclear if the issue was one of a front office, player, or even ownership variety) were hesitant about bringing Wood onboard a club with legitimate fringe-title aspirations this season.

"The decision to sign Wood late in free agency came after a lengthy recruitment, one to get Wood to accept the minimum contract the Lakers could offer and, more quietly, one to make sure everyone in the building was on board with the addition," Woike writes. "The word early has been favorable when it comes to Wood, but the questions will be there throughout the next few months."

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