Lakers waive former Dallas Maverick to sign former Top 5 pick

The former Mavs big man had yet to play a game for LA this season.

Jan 13, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Christian Wood (35) reacts to a play against the Utah Jazz during the second quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers have been working tirelessly to surround Luka Doncic with the best talent possible since acquiring him last week from the Dallas Mavericks. They tried to swing a trade for big man Mark Williams but had to cancel the trade after team doctors had concerns about Williams' long-term health. That forced them to scramble and find another option.

So the Lakers pivoted to signing Alex Len, who had been traded from the Sacramento Kings to the Washington Wizards at the trade deadline last week. Len wanted to compete at this stage in his career, so he was waived from the Wizards. The former 5th overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft will now play alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James after not playing much for the Kings.

READ MORE: Mavericks also reached out to Bucks, Timberwolves about possible Luka Doncic trade

Sacramento Kings center Alex Len (25) handles the ball against Utah Jazz forward Drew Eubanks (left) during the fourth quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Lakers had to waive someone in order to make the trade happen, and they chose forward/center Christian Wood, who spent the 2022-23 season with the Dallas Mavericks. Wood hasn't played since Valentine's Day of 2014, so it makes sense that the Lakers would want to move on when they're in desperate need of a playable center.

Wood was arguably the first horrendous trade of Nico Harrison's tenure as a general manager of the Mavericks. His first-ever trade was minimal, sending Josh Richardson to the Celtics for Moses Brown. His second was dumping Kristaps Porzingis' salary for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, and the Mavericks made the Western Conference Finals a few months later. But his third trade, sending out a bunch of salary filler, including fan-favorite Boban Marjanovic, and a 2022 first-round pick to the Houston Rockets for Christian Wood aged horribly. They'd miss the playoffs that season, partially because Jason Kidd didn't want to play Wood, and when he did, Wood didn't play well.

READ MORE: Ex-Laker Anthony Davis expected to miss coming weeks following injury in Mavericks debut

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