Lakers Rumors: If Kyle Kuzma plays well Julius Randle may be dealt
By Jason Reed
Coming out of Utah, 21 year old Kyle Kuzma has some promise. Now, finally in the NBA, Kuzma could be sparking the latest Lakers rumors.
Despite having both Julius Randle and Larry Nance Jr. in the fray the Lakers opted to select another power forward in the draft. That power forward was Kyle Kuzma out of Utah, a junior with perhaps the best stretch four capability in the entire class. Ever since his selection, Kuzma has sparked Lakers rumors despite only playing in two Summer League games.
Kuzma brings that stretch four dynamic that the Lakers so desperately need. Especially in today’s NBA, where three-pointers are at an all-time high, having a stretch four is immensely important. Los Angeles does have two young, talented power forwards in Randle and Nance, but neither of the two can shoot three-pointers.
Enter Kuzma, who shot 32.1% from beyond the arc during his Junior year at Utah. Sure, those metrics are good, not great, but as he works with NBA level coaches we will continue to see that percentage increase. There is no reason to think that Kuzma cannot shoot 35% from beyond the arc.
After a slow first game against the Clippers in the 2017 NBA Summer League, in which he scored only nine points, Kuzma lit up the score sheets against the Boston Celtics. Kuzma dropped 31 points, shooting 12-16 from the field and 5-10 from beyond the arc. That is the kind of play the Lakers drafted him for.
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Granted, this is just a Summer League game and we should take everything with a pinch of salt. However, Kuzma did show that he can put the ball in the net, and he can carry that to the regular season, Julius Randle may be in trouble.
Let’s face it, Randle is the last real trade chip for the Los Angeles Lakers. Sure, they could trade Jordan Clarkson or even Brandon Ingram if they really wanted to, but realistically, Randle will bring you the most return. Not only that, Randle is the key to getting rid of Luol Deng and his awful contract.
It makes so much more sense for the Lakers to trade Randle if Kuzma performs well. They would then have a scoring four, and although he may not rebound to the same degree as Randle, he would serve his purpose as being another weapon for Ball.
Then, the Lakers could bring in future draft picks and an expiring deal. There are a lot of teams that can use the young prowess that Randle brings at the power forward position.
Next: Trade packages for Jordan Clarkson
Overall, Kuzma’s time as a Laker thus far has only sparked various Lakers rumors. After his great play against the Celtics, these rumors only continue to grow.