Report: Max Christie has value and fans around NBA as Lakers rumors continue to fly

Max Christie has seen an uptick in his playing time for the Los Angles Lakers recently, and the 20-year-old reportedly is enhancing his profile as he heads toward becoming a free agent.

“Max Christie, the second-year guard who has played his way into the rotation, has value and fans around the league, but his restricted free agency this summer suppresses some of his worth,” wrote Dan Woike.

A second-round pick (No. 35 overall) in the 2022 NBA Draft, Christie is playing his second season with the Lakers. He has appeared in each of the Lakers’ past six games after not seeing any action in five of the seven games prior to that.

Christie is being used more often in the rotation as the Lakers are trying to reverse some recent poor fortunes. Since winning the NBA Cup as the champion of the first In-Season Tournament on Dec. 9, they have gone 5-11 and lost four in a row before capturing two of their past three games.

They are coming off a 127-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday when Christie scored 14 points playing more than 24 minutes off the bench. During the recent stretch of six games with him getting playing time, Los Angeles is 2-4.