Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has been the subject of trade rumors for quite some time.
Last summer, he was mentioned as a possible candidate to be dealt for then-San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard. Then, during this season, Kuzma was considered the centerpiece of a potential deal that would have landed New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis in Los Angeles.
During All-Star weekend, Kuzma went to Lakers general manage Rob Pelinka and asked him about his current situation, to which Pelinka told Kuzma he would only trade him if it meant landing one of the top three players in the NBA, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic.
Now, this was after the Feb. 7 trade deadline, so Kuzma already knew he would be safe for the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign, but what did it mean for the offseason?
Telling Kuzma that the Lakers would only trade him if it meant getting a top three player is not all that assuring, as Leonard was arguably a top three player last summer and Davis—Los Angeles' current target—is also a top three guy.
Plus, Pelinka has done this type of thing before.
Oram brings up Larry Nance Jr., who was told the very same thing by Pelinka last year, only to get traded along with Jordan Clarkson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a salary dump ahead of the trade deadline.
So, not only does Pelinka's pledge to Kuzma ring rather hollow, but based on history, it seems like Kuzma can't trust anything Pelinka says to begin with.
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