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Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha believes former guard Max Christie, who left the team as a part of the trade which brought Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, would like a return to the Lakers in his future.
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“I do,” said Buha on whether or not he believes Max Christie would welcome a return to Los Angeles. “I talked to Max after he got traded, and he was sad. He was really bummed. He wanted to be a Laker.”
The Lakers drafted Christie with the 35th overall pick in the 2022 draft, and he spent the first two and a half seasons in the NVA with the Lakers.
He had a minimal role in his first season with the team in 2022-23, averaging 12.5 minutes per game with just .1 points and 1.8 rebounds, but slowly expanded his role with the team. He featured in 67 games the following season, averaging 4.2 points per game before finally getting regular rotational minutes in his third season with the team.
Through 46 games with the Lakers in 2024-25, Christie played 25 minutes per game and started 25 times, averaging a career-best 8.2 points per game with 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per night.
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Come February, though, he moved to the Dallas Mavericks and has been there since.
How Has Max Christie Played With the Mavericks?
Christie has had a much larger role since moving to the Mavericks, and averaging over 30 minutes per game in his first half season with the team. Through his 32 games with the Mavericks that season, he averaged 11.2 points per game, and improved that number to 12.3 points per game in his first full season with the team, during which he started 68 of the 77 games he played.
His role shrunk again this season, though, as he is averaing just 18.5 points per game with 5.3 points per game on the year.
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Would the Lakers Take Max Christie Back?
The Lakers heavily invested in their backcourt over the summer, so while a return for Christie would further improve their depth, he wouldn’t see much time for the team. In addition to Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton coming off the bench, and first-rounder Cameron Carr is likely to see some time on the floor as well.
While a return for Christie is attractive for the Lakers in theory, the current makeup of their roster doesn’t really give them the space for his addition.
The post Former Laker Part of Luka Doncic Trade ‘Bummed’ After Blockbuster appeared first on LA Sports Report.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
