Shooting guard Max Christie was somewhat of a throw-in piece in the shocking blockbuster trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers in early February. The 2022 second-round pick joined 10-time All-Star big man Anthony Davis and a future draft pick in heading to Dallas, while five-time All-Star and former Rookie of the Year guard Luka Doncic, as well as veteran power forwards Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber were sent to Los Angeles.
The Utah Jazz helped complete the massive deal as a less-involved third team.
Christie opened up about his experience in the immediate aftermath of the trade during an interview with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears and revealed just how much of an emotional roller coaster it was for him.
Spears explained that the Michigan State product was with his now former teammates on the bus going back to the hotel, returning from the Lakers’ 128-112 road win against the New York Knicks on Feb. 1 when his phone rang just before midnight. It was Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka, who, according to Spears, also had head coach J.J. Redick “on the line with a stunning message.”
That was when Christie learned about the trade, which, per the insider, came “about 15 minutes” before the news broke.
Christie Was ‘On the Floor in the Hotel Room For Two Hours’
The Illinois native told Spears that he “had (his) suspicions” when he received the call.
“The emotions at that moment obviously were pretty overwhelming. And then going back to the hotel room, I got zero seconds of sleep that night. I was up from 12 (a.m.) to 8:15 (a.m.) I had a flight the next morning at 8:30 to go to Dallas. I was in denial a little bit, at first. I can’t believe this is happening,” Christie said. “If you look at the magnitude of that trade, it magnifies that emotion. So, I was shocked, man. I was on the floor in the hotel room for two hours just thinking about what was going on. I eventually came to my senses, obviously, and had to put one foot in front of the other and think about what I needed to do next. So far, I’ve had a good job just kind of settling in and just trying to stay present. That’s the biggest thing for me is just being present here, trying to help this team win games.”
The relocation to Texas came just seven months after Christie signed a four-year, $32 million contract with Los Angeles.
“I have moments still in my room or when I’m alone where I’m like, ‘I can’t believe that I’m still here,’” he said, adding that he’s temporarily living in a hotel room. “I’m very present where I’m at. I’m very happy to be here. It’s really nice to get to know my new teammates and we’ve been winning a lot of games so far since I’ve been here. But I’m still human.”
Christie Playing Best Basketball of Career With Mavericks
As the Lakers and Mavericks prepare for their first meeting since the trade on Tuesday night, Dallas’ new guard is playing arguably the best basketball of his young career.
The 22-year-old has recorded 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 32.6 minutes per game with a .436 three-point field goal percentage across his first eight contests with the Mavericks. Christie had his second-highest scoring output of the season (23 points) during his third game with Dallas in a win against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 8 and scored at least 15 points in his first seven contests with the Mavericks before going 1-for-5 with two points on Sunday vs. the Golden State Warriors.
“I’m not even looking at this game as a ‘revenge game,’” Christie told Spears, regarding the matchup against the Lakers. “I’m actually looking forward to it from a sense that I get to see old teammates, old colleagues, old coaches. I’m looking forward to just enjoying that game. I want to win, obviously. The Lakers are a playoff team. They’re really, really good. It’s a good test for us as a matchup, as a team as well.”
The fourth-seeded Lakers (34-21) and eighth-seeded Mavericks (31-27) enter Tuesday separated by just 4 1/2 games in the Western Conference standings.
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