Christian Wood, who re-signed with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, is reportedly carrying a bad reputation around the NBA.
NBA insider Jovan Buha highlighted this during a recent episode of his podcast, noting that Wood’s decision to pick up his player option, worth $3 million, for the 2024-25 season suggests a lack of demand from other teams.
“He has this certain perception around him around the league,” Buha said, via Peter Dewey of Lakers Daily. “And obviously, he did not have a market, otherwise he would not have opted in for a minimum player option.”
Buha questioned why Wood has struggled to stay with teams for more than a year or year and a half. “Why has he not been able to stay in most situations for more than a year, year and a half?” he asked.
The insider pointed out that Wood’s reputation might be a significant factor behind his limited market. “There are some red flags for sure with the Christian situation,” Buha added. “I just also am like, ‘Why does he have this bad reputation around the league where anyone you talk to just kind of starts sh*tting on him?’”
Despite these concerns, Wood’s performance last season saw him average 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game off the bench.
