After their first-round playoff exit last season, the Los Angeles Lakers were anticipated to implement roster adjustments. However, they replaced Darwin Ham with JJ Redick as their new head coach and remained silent in summer free agency. In July 2024, the Lakers re-signed shooting guard Max Christie, who recently opened up about the deal.
The Lakers re-signed their 2022 second-round pick, Max Christie, to a four-year, $32 million deal on July 2. The fourth year is a player option. In the 2023-24 NBA season, Christie played 67 games, starting seven of them.
In an interview with Los Angeles-based Spectrum SportsNet, Christie discussed his decision to remain at the Purple and Gold franchise. He said, “I wanted to come back. I know we’re building something great here.“
Max Christie discusses his decision to re-sign with the Lakers on a 4-year, $32 million deal, sharing his excitement for the future with the team. pic.twitter.com/LdPkWi7WGK
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) September 18, 2024
“We got two big dogs in LeBron [James] and AD (Anthony Davis), we got a fiery new coaching staff that I really like so far. I’ve been getting along with them really well.”
Will Max Christie Have More Playing Time In The 2024-25 Season?
In his average game time of 14.1 minutes last season, the Lakers wing scored 4.2 points, made 2.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game. He shot 42.7% from the field and 35.6 % from the three-point range. In his rookie season, he played 12.5 minutes per game and had a better three-point (41.9%) and free-throw (87.5%) shooting percentage.
Max Christie, Duop Reath (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
However, the 21-year-old shooting guard will see an increase in his playing time in the 2024-25 season as D’Angelo Russell’s trade rumors intensify on social media. Apart from re-signing Christie, the Lakers acquired center Collin Castleton and Christian Koloko to two-way contracts with less than 40 days remaining in the 2024-25 regular season.