It’s plausible Kyle Kuzma has played his last season in Los Angeles. The Lakers may try and move on from him this off-season. If they do, two teams could be in the mix as potential trade partners.
Kuzma was practically a no-show during the Lakers’ brief playoff appearance. He’s not only an inconsistent shooter, but doesn’t fit well the Lakers’ offensive strategy revolving around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The problem the Lakers may face surrounding a Kuzma trade is his value. Los Angeles may struggle to find much of an incentive to ship Kuzma in exchange for unattractive assets in return.
Regardless, Evan Massey of NBA Analysis Network is hearing there’s two teams in the mix for a potential Kuzma trade: the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings.
“(Kyle) Kuzma’s value is not extremely high right now, but both the Kings and Thunder have interest in him,” a source told Massey, via NBA Analysis Network. “That isn’t to say they’ll make an aggressive offer, but they’re definitely teams to watch in this situation. It isn’t likely that the Lakers’ asking price will be sky high, and it seems like a deal could be had for any team that believes in Kuzma’s potential and talent.”
Kyle Kuzma probably doesn’t fit into the Lakers’ longterm plan. But he could be a nice addition for a team like the Thunder going through a rebuild. The Kings could also make sense.
One area Kuzma did improve this past season was his willingness to be a team player. He didn’t force as many shot as he did in prior years, and was often diving for loose balls or coming up with hard-fought rebounds.
Kuzma could be on the move at some point this off-season. Watch out for the Kings or Thunder to try and make a move.