It has been less than four years since the Los Angeles Lakers won their then-record-tying 17th NBA title in franchise history. While their star duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis still remains, everybody else on that championship team is gone. This includes notable role players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Alex Caruso, who have continued to excel after their Lakers run. Additionally, the team also made other moves that were questionable even at the time. Perhaps most notable is their decision to trade forward Kyle Kuzma.
In 2021, the Lakers traded Kuzma to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Russell Westbrook in a massive five-team trade. Three years later, Westbrook is long gone from the Lakers and Kuzma plays a major role in Washington. Last season, he led the Wizards in scoring, averaging 22.2 points per game. While Kuzma played a much smaller role with the Lakers, the potential was there from the beginning. This led many, including Kuzma himself, to wonder if the team traded him too soon.
Recently, Kuzma spoke with All-Star Magazine’s Naveen Ganglani (YouTube link). In the interview, the 29-year-old said he thinks the Lakers gave up on himself and the roster “a little too early.”
For sure, 100 percent. I think it’s tough because they kind of gave up on me. They gave up on that team too a little too early. Rob [Pelinka] panicked a little bit. But you know in the NBA, things happen fast, you never know what’s going to happen next. It’s always like a revolving door so we had a tough, tough stretch so it happens.”
Former Lakers Champion Thinks Team Gave Up On Him Too Soon
Kyle Kuzma is Not the Only Former Laker to Criticize Rob Pelinka
In addition to Kuzma, a few other former Lakers have made their opinion on Pelinka’s handling of the 2020 team clear. Recently, former NBA big man Dwight Howard, who was a part of the championship roster, blamed Pelinka for not bringing another championship to Los Angeles up to this point (YouTube link).
“I’m going to tell you who it was,” Howard said. “Rob Pelinka, man! God, Rob. Why did you do that to us? Rob, come on. I still love you, Rob. We still had the squad and we could have run it back.”
Furthermore, Pelinka himself spoke about breaking up the team’s core shortly after their championship win. During last year’s media day, Pelinka talked about taking “a risk” at that time. Additionally, he admitted “it hasn’t worked out.”
“Every off-season, every season you go through is it’s a process of learning and discovery,” Pelinka said. “I think any championship executive in any sports has done some things perfectly and has done some things where they’ve taken a risk and it hasn’t worked out. I think your job as an executive or any sports executive is if you take a risk and it doesn’t work out the way that you thought, you’ve got to fix it.
The Last Word On Kyle Kuzma and the Los Angeles Lakers
Based on the Lakers’ recent seasons, Kuzma and Howard may be right. The team could have won another championship by now, but it ultimately never happened. Regardless, as long as James and Davis remain on the team, the Lakers will always be in title talks.
