3 Lakers who can't be traded until Dec. 15

2. Christian Wood

Christian Wood has had one of the most remarkable NBA stories being an undrafted free agent in 2015 and signing with the Philadelphia 76ers to start his career. He then bounced around the league, playing in the G League for his first five seasons and then having a breakout year in 2021 with the Rockets. He had two good years after that and then signed a two-year $5.7 million contract with the Lakers on September 6, 2023.

At the time the Lakers seemed to have got the power forward at a very cheap price. Just last season he averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, on .515/.376/.772 shooting splits and finished ninth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting.

So far this season, Wood has struggled a lot and his numbers have dipped to 7.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on .443/.269/.689 shooting splits. A lot of the reason Wood has taken a step back is because he went from being a third or fourth option with the Dallas Mavericks to the sixth to eighth option with the Lakers. The one positive that has come for Wood is that his defense has been much better this year than in years past. 

If Wood isn't able to turn his efficiency around, there is a very good chance that the Lakers will look to move him. Considering that he has had really good seasons, there would be some team that could use him. Wood could go to a situation where a team just lost their star player and then he gets a lot more touches. 

For now, Wood is still a Laker as he can't be traded until Dec. 15.