Lakers Rumors: Kyle Kuzma Could Be ‘Dealt For Another Piece’ In 2020 Offseason, Per Kyle Goon

Although the Los Angeles Lakers failed to acquire their top target in the 2019 NBA free agency, most people initially thought that the team already had their third superstar in Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma has exhibited a huge superstar potential from the time he set foot in the league in 2017, and last season, he proved that he could efficiently co-exist with LeBron James. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as the Lakers expected for Kuzma in the 2019-20 NBA season.

In his third year in the NBA, Kuzma has shown a massive decline with his statistics and has noticeably struggled to make himself fit alongside James and Anthony Davis. Kuzma has gone from being considered as an essential part of the Lakers’ core to facing an uncertain future in Los Angeles. In the Purple & Bold Lakers newsletter, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register talked about the Lakers’ plan for Kuzma in the 2020 NBA offseason.

Instead of making him part of their long-term plan, Goon thinks that the Lakers may consider using Kuzma as a trade chip to acquire “another piece” this summer.

“It seems more feasible now than it did last summer that the Lakers hold off on a Kuzma extension offer, either holding onto him for a year before he’s a restricted free agent, or dangling him out as trade bait (something to which Kuzma is uncomfortably familiar). If the Lakers now think that Kuzma’s development doesn’t fit their expedited title window, now even tighter because of coronavirus, it might be as likely as ever that Kuzma (making $3.5 million next year) gets dealt for another piece.”

As Goon noted, the 2020 NBA playoffs could have helped the Lakers determine if Kuzma really deserves to be part of their championship core or not. However, with the 2019-20 NBA season currently in limbo, the Lakers may need to decide on Kuzma’s future without seeing how he performs with James and Davis in the postseason. Kuzma indeed has the potential to become an All-Star, but with the Lakers in a win-now mode, they no longer have the patience to wait for him to reach that level.

With their goal to maximize their championship window, it might be best for the Lakers to trade Kuzma for an established veteran who could immediately contribute and could complement James and Davis. Being traded away from the Lakers might also end up being beneficial for Kuzma. Starting a new journey with an NBA team that wouldn’t force him to make a huge adjustment with his game and would give him significant playing time could speed up Kuzma’s development into a legitimate NBA superstar in the league.