Lakers Rumors: Qualifying Offer Extended to Max Christie

The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly extended a qualifying offer to Max Christie, as first reported by Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.

This makes Christie a restricted free agent.

Now that Christie is a restricted free agent, the Lakers can match any contract offered by another NBA team. Under the new collective agreement, teams only have 24 hours to do so. These restrictions make it very likely that Christie will remain in Los Angeles.

Christie had a mediocre season on the court, averaging just 4.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. However, this was in limited play, as he averaged just 14.1 minutes during his sophomore season.

If the Lakers bring him back, they’ll need to give him more time to discover his true potential. I mean, Christie couldn’t even clock a few minutes in his exit interview.

Under new Lakers head coach JJ Redick, and potentially with a larger role, the winger could become an important rotation player.

Elite wings are hard to find and while Christie still doesn’t fall into that category, he has all the tools to become one.

He has good height (1.98m), works equally hard at both ends of the court and has shown himself to be an easy player to coach.

The qualifying offer is just one of many dominoes that have fallen in love with the Lakers this offseason.

D’Angelo Russell opted out of his contract, as did Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood.

If LeBron James re-signs to a bigger contract and the Lakers retain Christie, they will essentially have a full roster and the team will be running it back with the same team as last year.

Given that last year’s edition of the Lakers finished seventh in the West, it’s hard to believe that keeping the same team together and adding a new coach will suddenly transform the team from play-in contenders to championship contenders.

Trades will be the only way to improve the roster, so we’ll have to see if Vice President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka has something up his sleeve this summer to improve the Lakers while ensuring they retain the best elements, like Christie. , together.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.