4. Max Christie
Max Christie is not someone who Lakers fans want to see get traded, especially after he came up and had a big game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Christie exploding in the G League proved that Darvin Ham was making a mistake by not giving Christie a big enough role and Christie backed that theory up on Friday.
Christie was the Lakers’ second-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and he offers something that the team desperately needs this season: three-point shooting. While he is raw as a rookie and definitely needs refining all-around, his three-point shooting can get him minutes.
Los Angeles definitely is not going to be outright shopping Christie but trading him is not out of the realm of possibility. Other teams are looking to get as much value as possible in a trade and there absolutely could be a situation in which Christie is the dealbreaker for a particular team.
The Lakers would then be forced with a very difficult decision. Do they make a trade to improve the team for one of the few young players they have team control over? Or do they potentially fork over more draft capital in order to keep Christie on the roster?
He is the least likely minimum contract that will be traded this season but there still is a world in which Christie puts on a different uniform this season.