The Los Angeles Lakers officially signed Christian Wood, the floor-spacing big the franchise was hunting for, after weeks of rumours. With Wood’s two-year contract, LA now has a roster of 14 players.
NBA teams are allowed a maximum of 15 players on their active roster, and many believe the purple and gold may save a slot for a potential buyout candidate. That might not be the greatest course of action for the Lake Show, though.
The potential buyback market isn’t huge and won’t really take effect until after the transaction deadline. If needed, the Lakers can win a spot on the roster through trading if there’s a reasonable buyback objective. Instead of leaving it blank, it makes more sense to use it.
So who will the Lakers sign in 15th place? It should not take place outside and the team should follow the same strategy that was used with Austin Reaves. Los Angeles is expected to convert D’Moi Hodge’s two-way contract into an NBA standard contract and make him the 15th player on the roster.
Why D’Moi Hodge makes perfect sense for the 15th spot on the Lakers
The simplest answer is that he deserves it. Hodge is one of the biggest yellow and purple players in the Summer League because he delivers what Los Angeles needs. Hodge is a solid two-way player with a legitimate three and D potential.
He won’t wow anyone with his shot creation or shot facilitation, but he can hit shots and can guard the perimeter at an average to above-average level. He will become a valuable player in the NBA because of those qualities.
Hodge doesn’t exactly require a lot of time to grow. Hodge is entering the league later in life than Reaves. In December, Hodge turns 25. He is older than Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jarred Vanderbilt, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes, Maxwell Lewis, and Max Christie. Only five months separate him from Reaves in age. There isn’t much more developing to be done after you reach that age.
In relation to Christie, Hodge also provides depth in a region that may be especially in need of it in the future season. Reaves and Christie are the only shooting guards on the Los Angeles roster. Christie has received a lot of attention, but he hasn’t yet shown that he can be a reliable NBA rotation player. The team now has another choice to help the younger player mature by bringing in Hodge.
Hodge, a two-way player, is already capable of doing this since he can participate in up to 50 games for the NBA team. Why therefore should the Lakers convert his contract instead of leaving the roster position available and allowing him to play on a two-way basis?
There are primarily two causes. First off, the Lakers may keep him in LA past the 2023–24 season by changing his contract. If Hodge is kept on a two-way contract, which gives him the option to leave the team, he will become a restricted free agency following the season.
Two-way players are additionally ineligible for postseason rosters. Although Hodge may not be anticipated to play a significant part in a hypothetical postseason squad, the team wouldn’t even be able to use him if he were to be restricted to a two-way contract.
