- Toilet paper brand Charmin takes hilarious shot at Patrick Beverley ahead of Lakers-Bulls matchup
- Report: Lakers upgrade LeBron James’ status for Sunday’s matchup vs. Bulls
- Former NBA player says Austin Reaves is overhyped because he’s ‘white’ and the Lakers are ‘trash’
- Austin Reaves’ semi-worrisome comments about his future with Lakers
- Austin Reaves says he had to buy LeBron James Xbox controller as one of his rookie duties on Lakers
- Tristan Thompson says he surprised LeBron James during Lakers workout: ‘I haven’t seen this since Cleveland’
- Draymond Green says the Lakers are a ‘serious threat’ in the Western Conference
- Report: Lakers downgrade D’Angelo Russell’s status for Friday’s matchup vs. Thunder
- Kendrick Perkins rips ‘borderline senior citizen’ Chris Paul for letting Austin Reaves drop 25 points on him
- Anthony Davis issues confident statement on Lakers playoff hopes: ‘You put anybody against us, I like our chances’
Report: Kyle Kuzma could be ready to move on from Lakers, looking for ‘new start’ with ‘bigger opportunity’
- Updated: June 20, 2021
NBA insider Marc J. Spears is indicating that Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma may ask to be dealt elsewhere because of his diminished role with the team.
Kyle Kuzma could be looking for a bigger role elsewhere, per @MarcJSpears
"[Kyle Kuzma] has been in this LA bubble, he's behind LeBron, I think he's ready for a new start with a bigger opportunity"
(h/t @NBATheJump ) pic.twitter.com/M7ixAsbOh2— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 20, 2021
Kuzma has played four seasons with the Lakers but has seen his role get smaller in the past two years due to the dual presence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Despite having battled injuries this season, James’ and Davis’ on-court production is still high, a situation that means Kuzma’s role will remain smaller in comparison
Kuzma turns 26 next month, and while he’s happy with the success the Lakers have achieved because of James and Davis, he’s obviously seeking to make an impact of his own in the near future.
Starting 32 of the 68 games he played in this season, Kuzma averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Those scoring numbers are similar to last season’s and remain decidedly below his career-high scoring average of 18.7 points per game during the 2018-19 season.
Rumors have surfaced that Kuzma could be dealt in part to ease the Lakers’ salary cap concerns, though there have been no solid potential destinations mentioned. However, Kuzma’s recent actions on social media will no doubt continue to fuel the rumor mill.