3 Former Mavericks Failing Miserably With Their New Teams in 2023

2. Christian Wood, Los Angeles Lakers

The Mavericks created waves at the 2022 NBA Draft when they sent four players and a first-round pick to the Rockets in exchange for Christian Wood. Was it a steep price? Yes, but it also made sense at the time for a talented big man who could help stretch the floor alongside Luka Doncic.

While Wood wasn't the most consistent player, he still averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds with 1.6 threes on 37.6% shooting across 67 games (17 starts). The fit between team and player wasn't right, though, which is why Wood and the Mavericks opted to part ways over the offseason in hopes of a fresh start.

Wood wound up signing a two-year, $5.7 million contract (incl. a player option) with the Los Angeles Lakers in September. While he's had a few nice moments here and there, his stint has been quite forgettable so far.

Wood has come off the bench in all but one of his 24 appearances, averaging just 20.2 minutes per outing — his fewest since the 2018-19 season. While his 6.0 rebounds per game are a big reason why the Lakers are a top-10 rebounding team, his 7.4 PPG on .463/.279/.618 is absolutely inexcusable.

While you can blame diminished playing time for lackluster production, Wood's 17.4 points per 100 possessions comes in as the worst mark since his sophomore campaign.

Time will tell if this is just a one-off campaign or Wood's new norm. Either way, he's clearly failing with the Lakers, indicating that the Mavericks may have been in the right for wanting to move on.