The Lakers have put together a strong offseason thus far and have the opportunity to potentially bolster their roster even more if things fall the right way. Following Rob Pelinka clearly stating the team’s desire to add another big man to the roster, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported there was interest in Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo.
Wood has been a popular name due to his success in recent seasons, specifically in slightly fewer minutes with the Mavericks last season. He'd add an immediate scoring punch to the second unit, and it remains somewhat surprising that he's still a free agent.
Unfortunately, there’s one big roadblock facing the Lakers in their pursuit of Wood (or any other player for that matter, currently)—money. And as Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reported, they could be set to run into another issue, as the Bulls are now considered a “potential threat” to sign Wood.
According to sources familiar with the team’s free-agent pursuits but not authorized to speak publicly, the Chicago Bulls are suddenly viewed as a potential threat that could keep the Lakers from landing Wood.
As Woike explains, the Bulls receiving a $10.2 million player exception due to Lonzo Ball’s knee injury sets them up to be able to offer Wood more than the Lakers hypothetically can. Los Angeles can only put an offer for the veteran’s minimum (just over $2.4 million) on the table.
For Wood, it'd likely make more sense to join the Bulls, but there's an obvious appeal to signing with the Lakers if that were on the table. Much of this decision, if it pans out this way, could come down to his own personal preference and what his role on the Lakers could look like, but on the surface, it would be a surprise to see him take less money at this point.
