Lakers Rumors: Three possible trades to open the door for Kyle Kuzma
By Jason Reed
Kyle Kuzma has been the biggest surprise of the NBA Draft thus far. With strong play, the latest Lakers rumors may create his path to the starting lineup.
Kyle Kuzma is turning a lot of heads not only in the city of Los Angeles but in the entire NBA. The 27th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has been far out-shadowed by the hype machine that is Lonzo Ball. Because of that, many casual NBA fans likely do not know the talent that Kuzma possesses, and that he indeed may be the real deal for the Lakers.
Kuzma has followed his outstanding NBA Summer League with two strong games in the preseason. The same doubts that were around Kuzma have since faded, and while he may not average over 20 per game like he is now, he certainly can be a huge impact on these Lakers.
It does not matter why, how or when Kuzma makes his shots. The forward is shooting over 60% from the field. While it may be a small sample size, that is incredible, to say the least.
The problem is, the Lakers have no real fit for Kuzma. Starting ahead of him at power forward is the more experienced Julius Randle; starting ahead of him at small forward is the untouchable Brandon Ingram.
For now, Kuzma’s home seems to be on the bench, which could be a huge waste of his talents. While he would make a pretty good sixth man, the Lakers could be so much better if they receive this kind of play in their starting five.
Therefore, with all of the Lakers rumors and trade speculation, here are three trades the Los Angeles Lakers could perform to move Kyle Kuzma into the starting five.