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Kyle Kuzma thanks Lakers fans on Instagram amidst inclusion in trade for Russell Westbrook

Published by
Justin Benjamin

On Friday, forward Kyle Kuzma thanked Los Angeles Lakers fans following the agreed-upon trade that sent him to the Washington Wizards.

Kuzma was the No. 27 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The 26-year-old has played for the Lakers for the entirety of his career in the NBA. During the 2018-19 campaign, Kuzma showed a ton of promise by averaging 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.

The Lakers managed to keep him while giving a king’s ransom to the New Orleans Pelicans for superstar Anthony Davis in the summer of 2019. However, Kuzma never found a groove after Davis arrived to L.A.

In fact, Kuzma put up just 12.9 points and 6.1 boards per game last season. He was ineffective in the Lakers’ first-round loss to the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 playoffs.

On Thursday, the Lakers dealt Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and the No. 22 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft to the Wizards for Russell Westbrook and two future second-round picks.

Justin Benjamin

Justin’s enormous respect for LeBron James has ignited him to write for the King and Lakers. His all-around analysis and heart for the game has made him a stellar NBA writer and proud staff writer for Lakers Daily.

Published by
Justin Benjamin

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