During the offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers and guard Max Christie reached an agreement on a four-year, $32 million contract. This deal was sealed just before the official start of free agency, taking advantage of a new rule that allows teams to begin negotiations with their own players early.
As a result, Christie did not fully experience restricted free agency, technically never hitting the open market. However, his agents likely assessed his value and determined that staying with the Lakers was the best option, giving Christie a glimpse of what it’s like to be an NBA free agent.
Reflecting on his experience with restricted free agency, Christie shared his thoughts and reasons for re-signing with L.A. in an interview with Jovan Buha of The Athletic:
“It was cool. It was my first time ever experiencing any sort of free agency. Obviously as a kid growing up and then my first two years I’ve seen some teammates and a lot of guys go through it, and I never knew how it really worked. And then this summer was my first time ever really actually going through it. And it was fun, it was good. The back-and-forth negotiations, it was pretty mutual between me and Coach Redick and Rob [Pelinka]. So we were all trying to get on the same page, because I wanted to be a Laker. I wanted to come back and be a part of it, I think we have a really good team. And so I wanted to be a part of that. It was cool. We wanted to get it done before free agency started just to get rid of all that turmoil and stuff, so I’m glad we reached an agreement right before it started. We knocked all that out and now we’re good to go.”
Christie is expected to take on a larger role in the upcoming 2024-25 season compared to last year. Ensuring his return was a priority for both him and the Lakers, highlighting a significant difference in the team’s rotation from last season to this one.
Max Christie Looks Forward to Competing Against His Brother
As Max Christie continues to establish himself in the NBA, his younger brother Cam was recently drafted by the L.A. Clippers, adding an exciting dimension to the Battle of L.A. With each Christie brother on a different team, Max expressed his enthusiasm about competing against Cam while also enjoying watching his brother play when they are not facing each other.
