After seemingly winning the NBA offseason by re-signing Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura while also bringing in talented free agents Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes, the Los Angeles Lakers made it clear that they intend to contend during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Incredibly enough, the Lakers weren’t done after signing all the players mentioned above, as the team wanted to bring in another versatile big man to help shoulder the load in the paint while also stretching the defense with his shooting.
That player turned out to be Christian Wood, who chose to take his time in NBA free agency before deciding which team he’d like to sign with.
While Wood was doing his due diligence, it appears that Lakers head coach Darvin Ham was doing what he could behind the scenes to bring in the sharpshooting big man.
According to Wood, Ham called him on a daily basis in order to convince the Long Beach native to return home via Pick Up Hoop.
"He called me everyday in free agency, I could say that now. Believe it or not, we have a good relationship."
Christian Wood on Darvin Ham pic.twitter.com/vV2yb0kghD
— pickuphoop (@pickuphoop) September 21, 2023
Last season, Ham proved his worth as one of the better head coaches in the league, with the first-year coach winning over his players and helping them reach the Western Conference Finals.
It seems that one of Ham’s best skills is being a head coach with great relationships with players, which helps the Lakers sign talent and helps them get the best out of them when on the basketball floor in Los Angeles.
Even though it seems like the Lakers front office has made all the right moves, only time will tell whether that is genuinely the case, as Los Angeles will be under the microscope next season with some high expectations.
NEXT: Analyst Breaks Down Lakers' Potential Next Season
