NBA free agency has significantly slowed down from the start of the month with only supplemental players remaining on the market. Very few teams are still in need of adding talent with the Los Angeles Lakers being one of those teams.
The Lakers are not alone, though, as the Chicago Bulls are also looking to fill out the roster. Both Chicago and Los Angeles were reported suitors for Rudy Gay, so the thinking of both organizations seems to be the same.
That is not the only player that both teams share an interest in. Chicago has also been named as a suitor for Christian Wood and because of the injured player exception given to the team for Lonzo Ball, it appeared as if the Bulls would lure Wood away from considering Los Angeles.
However, the chances of that now seems much less likely. It was reported on Friday that the Bulls agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract with restricted free agent guard Ayo Dosunmu. With Dosunmu now on the roster, the odds of Wood going to the Bulls is significantly lower.
Can confirm that Bulls and Ayo Dosunmu are indeed in agreement on a contract, which @wojespn had 1st.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) July 21, 2023
Bulls project to be roughly $3M under the luxury tax with 13 contracts done
Lakers are more likely to make the disastrous move of signing Christian Wood
The entire appeal of the Bulls for Wood’s camp was the idea that the team could pay him more than the league minimum because of the injured player exception given to the team. However, with Chicago just $3 million under the luxury tax, it is unlikely that the Bulls will bid against themselves to sign Wood.
Instead, Chicago’s offer for Wood would likely be at or around the league minimum. The Bulls are not in a better position to contend than the Lakers, so there really is no other reason for Wood to sign with Chicago unless he is solely doing it for playing time.
Wood is a relatively big name compared to the other options on the market and many Lakers fans may be interested in the idea of signing him to a cheap flier contract. While that all looks good on paper, and his stats are decent, Wood is not the kind of player the Lakers should be adding.
Wood has been a locker room distraction in the past and if the Lake Show learned anything from the previous two seasons it should have been to stay away from locker room distractions. Not to mention the fact that Wood cannot defend to save his life. By the time the playoffs roll around, he will be virtually unplayable.