It has just been rumored that teams around the league want the young forward from the Los Angeles Lakers, Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has had a slow start to the year with the Lakers, but that can be attributed to his injuries to start the season, as well as the star power and depth that the Lakers have. Kuzma, however, is still a valuable piece to about any team in the league, given that he is still on his rookie contract, and can give you 15-20 points on any given night.
Kyle Kuzma Trade Rumors
News Around the League
It has been noted that other teams around the league have been gaining interest in acquiring Kuzma. Legion Hoops, via Twitter, reported that teams around the league have been doing their ‘due diligence’ on Kuzma. Since this tweet, the Kyle Kuzma trade rumors have been ramped up significantly over the past few days.
Teams are doing their “due diligence” and are gauging the Lakers’ interest in potentially trading Kyle Kuzma. So far, the Lakers haven’t shown any interest in trading Kuzma. (via The Athletic)
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 3, 2020
With this news, expect the Lakers to ramp up trade talks. Although Kuzma has been dealing with injuries and low playing time, he isn’t living up to the expectations he had. Kuzma has averaged a career-low 11.8 points per game, a career-low 3.5 rebounds per game, and has been shooting a career-low 42 percent from the field. Again, Kuzma hasn’t had much time to shine, but the Lakers are preparing for championship run–so LeBron James and Anthony Davis need all the help they can get.
Trade Destinations for Kyle Kuzma
Sacramento Kings
It has been rumored by NY Times Marc Stein that the Sacramento Kings are among teams around the league looking at the trade market for Kuzma. The Kyle Kuzma trade rumors are now flying in, as the Lakers may be gearing up to trade the young forward.
Sacramento is among the teams that has tried to engage the Lakers in Kyle Kuzma trade talks, league sources say. The Kings know they would have to include sharpshooter (and soon-to-be restricted free agent) Bogdan Bogdanovic, for starters, in a Kuzma deal
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 6, 2020
Stein notes that the Kings will likely have to trade one of their young stars, Bogdan Bogdanovic, in order to entice the Lakers to give up Kuzma. This makes sense for the Lakers, as they prioritize spacing the floor and shooting heavily. Bogdanovic can help bring more three-point shooting to an already stellar outside-shooting team. Moving Bogdanovic to the Lakers would help both the Kings and Bogdanovic. It seems clear to the Kings’ organization that Bogdanovic doesn’t want to extend his contract. Moving him would allow the Kings to hit the reset button.
Other Trade Destinations
An enticing trade destination for the Lakers would be the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have one of the most enticing trade pieces in basketball right now, Andre Iguodala. The Grizzlies have made it clear that they aren’t giving up Iguodala without a good return. Kuzma would be a perfect fit for the Grizzlies’ roster. Kuzma would fit in nicely with the young core that they have in Memphis–Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Iguodala would be able to fit right in with the Lakers roster. Iguodala could bring in more veteran leadership as the Lakers prepare for a title run in June, however, it is possible the Lakers would want more in return than just Iguodala.
With rumors of Darren Collison returning to the NBA in February, there is a chance that the Lakers could trade Kuzma for non-player assets. Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks or Orlando Magic could trade some of their picks for Kuzma.
Make sure to look out for the Lakers to dive into the trade market for Kuzma. The Lakers will try to get the most out of whatever team trades for him.
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