It was a relatively uneventful offseason for the Purple and Gold but that doesn’t mean it came without mistakes. According to one former league executive, their biggest blunder was offering a four-year, $32 million to one of their youngest, unproven role-players.
“The problem was that A) they actually tried him quite a bit (944 minutes across 67 games), and B) he wasn’t any good (8.4 PER, minus-3.6 BPM), such that C) he couldn’t crack the full-strength rotation of what was arguably the worst bench in the league,” wrote John Hollinger. “Thus, it was a bit shocking to see the Lakers commit to a four-year, $32 million free-agent deal to bring him back, one that included a fourth-year player option. Talking to some other people around the league, I don’t think I’m alone in this opinion.”
Coming off a disappointing season, where they lost in the first round of the West playoffs, the Lakers were hoping to make improvements this summer and take some steps toward being a contender in the West. With limited flexibility, the Lakers could only do so much but they made several big decisions, including hiring JJ Redick as head coach, signing LeBron James to a multiyear deal, and drafting Dalton Knecht and Bronny James with their two draft picks.
In a move that nobody saw coming, they also re-signed Max Christie to a four-year, $32 million contract. Christie, 21, was drafted 35th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft and he’s had some encouraging stretches on the court over the past two seasons. Whether or not he’s worth $35 million is still up for debate.
Last campaign, his second in the NBA, he averaged 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game in roughly 14.1 minutes. In the playoffs, however, Christie was unplayable. The young shooting guard was left out of the rotation despite a struggling bench unit and the Lakers were nearly swept at the hands of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
With just two years of experience under his belt, Christie has time and potential to grow and develop his game and he might turn out to be a solid bench player for the Lakers. At the very least, as LeBron James and Anthony Davis get older, Christie gives his team valuable youth that should keep the rotation fresh and ready to tackle any matchup.
Sadly, for the Lakers, they are on the clock to win now and any mistake with their funds could cost them a worthy finish to LeBron James’ career. At 39 years old, James doesn’t have much longer in his career and the Lakers have committed to doing everything they can to help him win one last championship.
Giving up $35 million to an unproven role-player is certainly a questionable use of finances for the Lakers and it could come back to haunt them if Christie does not develop into a valuable rotation player.
In a strong Western Conference with teams like the Mavericks, Suns, Nuggets, and Timberwolves, the Lakers cannot afford a thin backcourt and they don’t really have anyone they can trust at the guard positions. If Christie doesn’t pan out and fill their needs in the backcourt, it may very well be the final nail in their coffin as title contenders in the LeBron James era.
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