The Lakers’ first move of free agency was made official on Saturday afternoon, with the franchise announcing it had re-signed Max Christie.
While the organization didn’t announce the terms of the deal, Christie is returning on a four-year, $32 million contract, with the final year of the deal being a player option, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Christie was slated to become a restricted free agent last Sunday when teams were officially allowed to start negotiating deals with free agents not previously on their rosters, but the Lakers and Christie agreed to a new contract an hour before that negotiating period opened.
In a new league rule, teams could start negotiating with upcoming free agents who finished the just-completed season on their roster the day after the NBA Finals ended June 17.
The 21-year-old Christie, who doesn’t turn 22 until February, was the Lakers’ second-round draft pick in 2022 (No. 32 overall).
He has shown flashes of a 3-and-D skill set in his two seasons with the Lakers, specifically as an on-ball defender, spot-up shooter and defensive rebounder. His role fluctuated last season under previous coach Darvin Ham.
Since joining the Lakers, Christie has averaged 3.8 points and two rebounds and shot 37.8% from 3-point range in 108 regular-season games (10 starts).
During head coach JJ Redick’s introductory news conference on June 24, Redick and Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka mentioned Christie when discussing the organization’s player development plans.
The free agency moratorium, a period in which teams can not sign most free agents or make trades, ended Saturday at 9:01 a.m. PT.
