Grade the trade: Lakers swap favorite for Christian Wood in proposed deal

What a Lakers sign-and-trade for Christian Wood would look like:

There is only one player that feasibly makes sense for the Lakers to trade for Christian Wood. It is a player that has quickly become a fan-favorite in Los Angeles, which made the debate around this trade so contentious for Lakers fans.

The only way to reasonably make this work would be to send Jarred Vanderbilt back to the Dallas Mavericks. Vanderbilt is the only tradeable player that the Lakers have that doesn’t break the bank for Dallas and allows Wood to sign for a bit more money.

Instead of signing a league minimum contract, Wood could sign a one or two-year deal for $5 million a season if the Mavs were to pull this off. That is double what he would make on a minimum (more than that if it is a multi-year deal) so this would benefit Wood.

If the Lakers were willing to do this then the Mavericks would be foolish to say no. The team could either let Wood walk for nothing in free agency or they could add a legitimate rotation guy. For a team that struggled so mightily on defense, someone like Vanderbilt could be a godsend.

It works financially and it makes sense in the scope of Dallas potentially pulling off a sign-and-trade. But does that make it a good deal? This is where the debate has lied for Lakers fans, with some arguing that it would make sense while others have instantly dismissed this idea.

Let’s dive into the grades for both teams to answer whether or not this would be a smart deal for the Lakers.