It felt like time stopped when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic in a late-night trade that sent shockwaves around the rest of the league. The attention was on the Mavericks trading their superstar in return for Anthony Davis, overshadowing the other players involved in the deal, one of whom was Max Christie.
The young guard spent the first two-and-a-half seasons in LA after being selected by the Lakers in the second round of the 2022 draft. Christie was having a good season, averaging 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game (46 contests) for Los Angeles before the trade. He finished the season averaging 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game for Dallas (32 contests).
Those 32 games must've meant a lot to Christie. He was asked last week by a camper what his favorite day of his career had been thus far. Christie replied, saying it was the day he was traded to Dallas.
Max Christie is here at Frisco Athletic Center for Mavs Academy Hoop Camp. He’s participating in a Q&A session with the campers. One asked what was his favorite day of his NBA career.
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) July 22, 2025
“It was when I got traded to the Mavericks.” pic.twitter.com/1J7u1KNbxj
You know what? It was an all-time day (night) for Lakers fandom. The same goes for the organization. It's a trade the Lakers would do a million times over. It's not every day you can get a generational talent for a fraction of their value.
Max Christie takes a shot at Lakers months after trade
Christie didn't say anything bad about Los Angeles, but his answer was interesting. He might've wished he could've reworded it after he said it because it sounded like a slight against the Lakers, even though he could've just been expressing his excitement about being in Dallas while at an event for the organization.
It took a while for Christie to process the trade at first, and even if he wishes he were still in LA, he wouldn't admit that publicly. There was nothing he could do about being traded to Dallas, and he has since embraced his new life there. Maybe he is just that excited about playing with Cooper Flagg.
Christie should know that comment will come back to haunt him, though. It doesn't matter what his intention was. Lakers fans don't forget things like that.
Lakers/Mavericks matchups are must-watch television now because of the trade. Christie just added a little bit of fuel to the fire. The start of the season can't get here soon enough.