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4 Lakers Who Will Be Replaced This Offseason

If the Los Angeles Lakers want to return to prominence next season, they must consider replacing these four players this offseason, either through the draft or free agency.

By Devon Platana

D'Angelo Russell is one of four Lakers who should be replaced this offseason.
D'Angelo Russell is one of four Lakers who should be replaced this offseason. / Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
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3. Christian Wood, PF/SF

After Christian Wood finished ninth in the 2022-23 NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting, Lakers fans were excited to see the veteran forward join the lineup. After all, the former UNLV star just averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds coming off the Dallas Mavericks bench last year, making him the perfect player to give Los Angeles' reserves a boost.

At least, that's what was the general hope.

Instead, Wood failed to live up to the hype in his first season with the Lakers. The 28-year-old struggled to find a consistent spot in the lineup and his play suffered as a result. Suiting up in 50 games (1 start), Wood averaged only 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes.

The biggest issue was his inefficiency. Wood has always been known as a decent shooter, averaging 51.8% field-goal and 37.9% three-point percentages in 289 games before joining the Lakers. Instead of continuing those trends, the Long Beach native only shot 46.6% from the field and 30.7% from deep last season.

Wood is still on the books for $3 million next season, but I wouldn't count on his return. His horrendous performance was a big reason why Los Angeles had one of the more unproductive benches in the association. If the Lakers want to reverse that curse, replacing him with a better big man is the only option.

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