The NBA's trade deadline is over, and the Los Angeles Lakers failed to trade third-year forward Kyle Kuzma. And by failed, I mean it was a failure not moving the 24-year-old former first-round pick out of Utah.
Kuzma has failed to significantly improve in his third NBA season after a breakthrough debut season in the 2017-18 season with the Lakers.
Part of his stagnation, especially during the current 2019-20 campaign, is due to the awkward fit with Anthony Davis, the All-Star power forward who has, in essence, made Kuzma come off the bench and fit poorly with the second unit.
Either way, not trading Kuzma was a mistake for the Lakers, who need to regroup after the deadline and find some depth pieces on the buyout market.
Selling high
There were reports in recent weeks that the Lakers and California neighbor, the Sacramento Kings, were discussing a trade involving Kyle Kuzma and third-year wing Bogdan Bogdanovic.
It's likely these rumors were slightly inflated and came from L.A.'s side, with the Kings uninterested in Kuzma for Bogdanovic, but regardless it showed that the purple and gold franchise was seeking to sell high on Kuzma.
The Lakers exercised their team option on Kuzma last summer for 2020-21, and he's signed through that season. Given the year-plus contract he's on (and that Kuzma is still a relatively productive player), now was the right time to move the junior forward.
Averaging 13.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, Kuzma is also having his worst shooting season, at 43.7% from the field and a 53.9% True Shooting percentage. These aren't particularly horrible figures, but in context for the contending-hopeful Lakers, Kuzma has not adjusted well off the pine for head coach Frank Vogel.
The New York Knicks were reportedly interested in Kuzma for veteran stretch four Marcus Morris, who instead was traded to their rival Los Angeles Clippers. Whether that deal would have materialized or not, Kuzma could have been dealt for a better-fitting piece that could have helped the Lakers win now.
Next steps
What happens next for Kuzma and the Lakers? Clearly the Flint, Michigan, native knows he was on the trading block, so the team has to repair its relationship with Kuzma in some way.
Kuzma will continue coming off the bench for James and Davis, but maybe he doesn't stay in Hollywood past the upcoming summer.
He's the third-leading scorer on the team, but his consistency is looking like a former Laker than a current one.
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