Buddy Hield Will Not Be a Laker. Seriously. And Christian Wood Says Darvin Ham Recruited him Hard.

Thursday, Christian Wood met the LA media for the first time, and said a lot of "meeting the media for the first time" type things. How excited he is to be in Los Angeles, how (as a Long Beach native) he's always wanted to play for the Lakers.

And how he has a great relationship with Darvin Ham... who called him every day during free agency. Every day? That's a lot of days, and a lot of calls. But even if it's an exaggeration, it also makes some sense. The Lakers didn't have any extra money to offer, but what they could sell were vibes and opportunity. And whether you're a big Darvin guy or not, there probably aren't too many guys around the league who can sell culture to a player better than he can.

And really, context should drive home to Wood the critical nature of this opportunity. If he doesn't make it work in LA, if he can't accept and then thrive in a role on a good team, where does he go from here?

But red flags aside, the Lakers got the most talented player left available on the free agent market. And if you want him, it can't hurt to sweet talk him a little.

Meanwhile, Pat Beverley was on his podcast, talking about the Jarred Vanderbilt extension. Interestingly, he told him that his advice was not to sign an extension. Why? Because players who do that get paid appropriately. Players who get signed during free agency? They get overpaid.

Whether that would have applied to Vanderbilt is an open question, but it's a fascinating view of how folks get paid in the league.

And finally, Buddy Hield is on the trade market. But this is a Buddy Hield safe space, because the Lakers do not have any players they can trade for him until at least mid-December. But what's really interesting is that the need for someone like Hield is a lot lower now than it was a year ago at this time.

Please leave your Hield comments to yourself until then.

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Christian Wood meets the media. Is this his last/best opportunity to change the narrative?

SEGMENT 2: The Lakers don't need Buddy Hield.

SEGMENT 3: Pat Bev on Vanderbilt.

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