The Sacramento Kings have been among the NBA teams inquiring about Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, but it has been made known that Bogdan Bogdanovic would be required in return, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.
The Kings offered Bogdanovic an extension before the season, but they were limited in what they could offer and he didn't accept, instead looking to hit restricted free agency in the summer. Sacramento handed out sizable deals to Buddy Hield, Harrison Barnes, Dewayne Dedmon and Cory Joseph this past offseason, while De'Aaron Fox is due for a massive extension, so the club might have some concerns about paying Bogdanovic as well.
Bogdanovic has been a quality presence coming off the bench or taking over as a fill-in starter. He's having a substantially better overall season than the underperforming Kuzma, averaging 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game this season in 30 outings.
Sacramento is just 13-23 this NBA season after entering 2019-20 with high hopes, though that poor record has them only two games behind the eighth-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference.
Kuzma has largely struggled to get his shot to fall while dealing with injury issues this season, posting averages of 11.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game but providing little else coming off the bench. He's shooting 34.5% from deep — a middle ground from what he mustered in his first two seasons with the team.
The Lakers reportedly still like Kuzma as part of their core, but they've recently become more open to listening to trade offers and will want Bogdan Bogdanovic along with other assets to agree to the trade, using his star potential as a caveat. While Los Angeles is willing to move the 6-foot-9 wing, it will take a knockout offer for the Lakers to give Kyle Kuzma up, even despite his struggles this season.
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