When checking in on former Los Angeles Lakers around the league, a pitstop in Texas shows Max Christie is not doing too hot. With Anthony Davis gone, the only remaining part of the player package sent to the Dallas Mavericks in the infamous Luka Doncic trade is Christie. The former Laker has gone from promising young talent to struggling in a battle for minutes.
The Smoking Cuban Site Expert, Noah Weber, was having a hard time taking head coach Dusty May at face value when discussing how the organization feels about Christie amid his rough start to the season. The words and actions were not matching.
Weber wrote: "While May made it clear that the team still has faith in Christie before Monday night's game, his sparse playing time says otherwise."
To Weber's point, Christie is averaging just 19.6 minutes per game to start the year. That is a noticeable decrease from the 29.1 minutes a night he enjoyed last season with the Mavericks. His playing time is trending downward, too.
Christie played 28.2 minutes per game in the first five games of the season for Dallas. The Mavericks wing is posting only 11.4 minutes a night in his five appearances since. It does look a touch troubling for a guy who was once emerging as a hidden gem with the Lakers.
Max Christie needs a quick bounce-back to avoid getting lost in the shuffle for the Mavericks
The simple answer as to why Christie is seeing less and less playing time is his offense. 5.5 points per game on 32.8 percent from the field and 26.2 percent from beyond the arc is as ugly as it sounds. It is a stark drop-off from someone who made his living as a legit 3-and-D guy last season.
Christie shot 40.4 percent on 5.8 attempts from deep in 2025-26, pairing that with solid point-of-attack defense. That was a guy worth playing. With an upcoming contract decision, the Mavericks avoided an extension. Did they expect regression?
The problem for Christie now is how quickly he needs to rebuild faith in him being playable. The Mavericks are off to a 7-4 start and look the part of a team who will have competitive aspirations. That only leaves so much room for patience with a struggling young player, especially if they have better options.
Max Christie could be headed for an uncertain future
Christie has an $8.9 million player option for 2027-28. At this rate, the 23-year-old would be wise to accept it and avoid free agency in 2027.
The player who Christie was last season was someone who could afford to gamble on a multi-year summer payday. The former Lakers second-round pick had youth on his side to pair with a desirable skill set. Those guys tend to get paid.
Right now, Christie looks closer to a financial casualty. Granted, it is fair to pump the brakes a bit here. There are 71 more regular season games for the ex-Laker to turn things around with the Mavericks. Should he not regain trust and confidence quickly, the rest of his stay in Dallas could be awkward and may even get cut short.
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