Kyle Kuzma was ‘shocked’ Lakers traded him to Wizards, expected to be sent to Kings

Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma recently revealed that he was stunned when he was traded to the Washington Wizards earlier in the offseason.

He explained that he expected to land with the Sacramento Kings.

“I was kinda shocked because I thought I was going to Sac, like the Sacramento deal with Buddy Hield,” Kuzma said. “That s— was done. So, I’m thinking in my head, ‘Okay, I’m in Sac, 45-minute flight, not bad. I can go to Napa.’ But then out of nowhere, you’re going to Washington. But I was super hype, obviously, because it’s a better situation.”

Kuzma was ultimately traded to Washington in the deal that brought superstar Russell Westbrook to L.A. Many folks feel that the Lakers came out on top in the trade.

Kuzma spent four seasons with the Lakers before being traded this offseason. During his time with the Lakers, he averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 33.8 percent from deep.

The former first-round pick looked like a promising young player during his first two seasons at the NBA level, but he showed signs of regression during his two most recent campaigns.

He’ll find himself with a new team for the 2021-22 season. The 26-year-old would presumably love to make an instant impact with the Wizards and prove to the Lakers that the organization made a mistake by trading him away.