Kyle Kuzma was the one player from the Los Angeles Lakers' young core that didn't get traded in the Anthony Davis deal. Kuzma was viewed as the potential third scoring option behind LeBron James and Davis, which was why the Lakers kept him.
Kuzma missed the Lakers' first four games of the season due to the foot injury he suffered from in a practice with Team USA. He has come off the bench for a majority of the season in his new role with the Lakers. He has struggled significantly, averaging 12.1 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field.
The Lakers have been seeking to find a third player who can produce points on their own. Davis and James score and assist a majority of the team's points during games. When both players aren't on the floor, the team lacks playmaking and struggles mightily to score.
The Lakers are all-in on winning a championship during the tail end of James' prime, so they must fix their weaknesses and flaws in order to make a run. Trading for a playmaker might be their best option. However, they have no one on their team with as much trade value as Kuzma. This may be the reason why they are listening to trade offers, according to The Athletic‘s Sam Amick:
What’s more, sources now say the Lakers have shown a recent willingness to listen to pitches for Kuzma.
And … we’re off — sort of. From the Lakers’ perspective, this open-phone-lines approach is merely a case of Pelinka doing due diligence as opposed to having substantive discussions. If only because nothing of real interest has come their way — yet
Kuzma is still on his rookie contract and is only making $1.9 million this season. Trading for someone that would contribute more than him at the same price will be extremely hard. The Lakers' best option in a trade would be packaging Kuzma with young players like Troy Daniels, Quinn Cook or even Kostas Antetokounmpo.
Despite all these rumors surrounding Kuzma, he's been averaging 15.6 points over the past five games. He's slowly starting to contribute more as the Lakers are riding a four-game win streak. Kuzma has the potential to become a star in this league, so it would make no sense to trade him. They should continue to allow him to develop and give him some more playing time. Kuzma is only averaging 23.3 minutes per game, which is 10 less to what he was playing at last season.
A Kuzma trade is highly improbable, yet nothing can be ruled out with a team that is attempting to win the championship. The trade deadline will be on February 6th.
The Lakers currently have the best record in the west at 28-7. They're looking to extend their win streak to five as they play the Detriot Pistons this evening.
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