The efforts of the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire another star player could potentially result in the team trading forward Kyle Kuzma to make it happen.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report cited the Lakers’ immediate quest to become a championship team and noted that waiting for Kuzma to develop into a star likely isn’t a part of the team’s timeline.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have quickly become a veteran team with title aspirations,” Pincus wrote. “They may not have time for third-year forward Kyle Kuzma to fully emerge as the next-best player behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.”
The chief problem with keeping the 24-year-old Kuzma is that the Lakers have tried him everywhere on the court besides point guard, but his position, power forward, is currently locked down by Anthony Davis.
Pincus indicates that three teams might be potential trade destinations for Kuzma, with a backcourt star serving as one of the Lakers’ biggest needs.
“Kuzma may be better suited for a team that needs a young, scoring power forward,” Pincus wrote. “The Lakers need playmaking and shooting.
“Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie would be an ideal target if he became available. Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield is an elite shooter and could feast on open looks that James and Davis generate. An athletic scorer like Zach LaVine might be interesting as well, given the Chicago Bulls’ recent front-office turnover.”
The arrival of Davis put Kuzma into a reserve role, with his scoring and rebounding averages dropping as a result. In 54 games this season, he’s averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, down from 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in the 2018-19 season.
Given the constraints of the salary cap and Kuzma’s current contract, the Lakers would need to offer another major salary in any such deal if they want to acquire high-priced talent such as Hield or LaVine.
Trading draft picks isn’t an option, considering the Lakers effectively depleted their supply in the acquisition of Davis.
