Lakers still interested in Christian Wood, but Bulls have emerged as possible suitor, per report

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Christian Wood is by far the best free agent left on the market, but with nearly three weeks of movement in the marketplace now behind us, it isn't even clear if he has received an offer above the veteran's minimum. One team that has reportedly been in the mix at that price? The Los Angeles Lakers, who are in the market for another backup big man, and based on the sort of skill set Rob Pelinka described as their target, Wood would be an ideal fit.

But according to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers have a bit of competition on the Wood front in the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls recently received a $10.2 million disabled player exception due to the injury of Lonzo Ball. The Bulls have roughly $7 million in space below the luxury tax, a line that they have largely refused to pass in the past. The Lakers, by contrast, can offer only $2.5 million for the minimum. The same is true of the Miami Heat, another team with speculated interest, according to Woike, though for now they are focused on their pursuit of Damian Lillard.

Complicating matters for Wood, as Woike points out, is the stigma many players feel teams attach to them after signing a minimum-salary contract. The truth of that stigma is debatable, but some players feel as though once they've signed a minimum-salary deal, teams will only view them as minimum-salary players.

The Lakers have a recent history of bucking this trend. Malik Monk parlayed a successful season in Los Angeles on a minimum contract into a two-year, $19 million deal with the Sacramento Kings in the 2022 offseason. Earlier this month, Dennis Schroder inked a two-year, $26 million pact with the Toronto Raptors after a one-year minimum run in purple and gold. A combination of the visibility the Lakers create, the ease of playing with LeBron James and, simultaneously, the opportunities for shots and touches that are created when James and Anthony Davis are injured makes the Lakers a perfect landing spot for players hoping for future paydays.

The Bulls, recently, are the opposite. Andre Drummond took a deal slightly above the minimum in Chicago last offseason but couldn't even create enough interest in his services to opt out of the final year of that deal. The Bulls have Drummond and Nikola Vucevic at center and Patrick Williams at power forward, so it is unclear how many available minutes they can offer. For the right price, Wood might be willing to find out, but the Lakers seemingly offer a better opportunity to showcase himself.

Miami is the true wildcard here. The Heat, unlike the Lakers or Bulls, could probably offer their starting power forward position. The presence of Bam Adebayo would protect Wood on defense, and the foursome of Adebayo, Wood, Lillard and Jimmy Butler could create the NBA's best offense.

Wood does not appear to be in any sort of rush to make a decision. His options are not especially appealing compared to what he likely assumed would be available before free agency. The Lakers and Bulls are still in the mix, but there's room for another team to come in and make an offer he can't refuse.