Max Christie explains decision to re-sign with LA

One of the few significant moves the Lakers have made this offseason has come in the form of their upcoming third-year guard, Max Christie. The first move the Lakes made this offseason was to re-sign Christie an hour before the start of free agency.

Before the signing, all signs pointed to Christie returning to purple and gold, and according to the 21-year-old herself, that appears to be the case.

In a recent interview with The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, he explained why he decided to re-sign with LA, something he’s wanted to do all along.

“The negotiations back and forth were pretty mutual. It was really me, coach (JJ) Redick and Rob (Pelinka). We were all trying to get on the same page because I wanted to be a Laker. I wanted to come back and I think we have a really good team, so I wanted to be a part of that. It was cool. I wanted to get it done before free agency started, just to, you know, get rid of all that turmoil and stuff, so I’m glad we were able to come to an agreement, you know, right before it started.”

Christie and the Lakers agreed to a four-year, $32 million contract, with the final year of the deal being a player option. After two years in and out of the rotation, the 21-year-old is promised to be a key player in the 2024-25 season.

His second season in the league was promising, but inconsistent in terms of playing time. In 67 games, Christie averaged 4.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14.1 minutes of action, appearing in 67 games.

Christie is confident in what the Lakers have to offer, regardless of their inactivity this summer. If Christie can prove to be a reliable option in the rotation (and everything else goes their way), the Lakers could be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. There are a lot of ifs and whens for LA, though.

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