Kyle Kuzma has been spared of the agony of being the center of attention in the last NBA trade deadline. Feb. 6 passed and the 24-year-old remains with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, some feel that a Kuzma trade will likely pop up again in the summer. Though they already look formidable, adding new talent to boost their campaign will always be an option for the purple and gold.
With most expecting the Lakers to focus on keeping Anthony Davis, Kuzma could be the most intriguing player to trade for. Before the NBA trade deadline closed, Kuzma was part of a potential trade involving Marcus Morris. As most know, that never prospered with Morris ending up moving to the Los Angeles Clippers, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported.
Kuzma has one more remaining in his rookie contract with the Lakers. He is set to become a restricted free agent in 2021. Depending on what is pitched or who is available, Kuzma could weather another storm. But if the trend is any indication, there is no doubt that the former first-round pick will have to deal with this distraction, the business side of his NBA career.
This season, Kuzma has played in 44 games averaging 12.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per Basketball-Reference.com. These are a tad lower than his career-best although he did not see action in the early part of the 2019-20 season due to an injury. Worth noting as well is that he saw a dip in playing time. After playing more than 30 minutes the past two seasons, he is only seeing 24.7 minutes this season.
The dip in playing time is understandable. Aside from the fact that he did not start the current season, the Lakers are pretty much souped-up right now. Danny Green, Avery Bradley, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope have seen more action, most likely because they have gotten accustomed to the style of head coach Frank Vogel.
Looking at it in a different way, a trade could be better for Kuzma. Most saw how D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Brandon Ingram broke out to unleash their full potential. All were unable to do that when they were still with the Lakers. It may be a risk on the part of the 24-year-old but something that could work to his benefit. However, it also depends on which team picks him up as well as the playing time he would get should he move out of Hollywood.
