Los Angeles Lakers: Three reasons it’s okay to trade Lonzo Ball

Sooner than later, Kyle Kuzma will want out

It’s great that Kyle Kuzma has shown he can co-exist with Lonzo Ball for at least this part of their shared rookie seasons. Kuzma took control in the end of Summer League in Las Vegas to help the Lakers win a summer title with Ball out and the two of them have shown flashes of what they can do together already in the regular season.

They have the potential to be one of the best young duos in the game, but also have to live with the danger of being one of the most short-lived tandems in the league.

If the Lakers are unwilling to part with Lonzo Ball because of his father’s noise and sometimes reckless comments, there will come a point where Kyle Kuzma, among other teammates, will become fed up and demand action.

We’ve seen it before in Los Angeles where a feud split a dynamic duo in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Another more recent example can be seen from Kyrie Irving’s dramatic departure from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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While those both came as somewhat of a surprise when they actually happened, neither Ball nor Kuzma have a championship, let alone a playoff berth, to their name yet and we could still see plenty of sparks fly.

The difference in how they carry themselves off the court is probably the most noticeable difference. When it came to defending their head coach, Kuzma took the direct path of backing Luke Walton while the media got a much more vague answer from Lonzo.

Ball gets more media time, hype, and money than Kuzma does right now. However, Kuzma has proven that, up to this point in their careers, he’s the better player and the Lakers were fortunate enough to land the steal of the draft with the 27th overall pick.

The fact that we haven’t even reached the trade deadline or the All-Star game yet and these are already legitimate concerns should speak for themselves. Kuzma is not going to want to put up with the antics of Big Baller Brand and all that comes with it, so don’t be shocked if the Lakers are forced to pick between the two.

If the Lakers aren’t bold enough to explore a move, at the very least, with Lonzo, don’t expect them to take Kuzma’s side in the near future or down the road. It won’t be the right move, but that’s what we can expect from the front office at this point based on what they’ve shown us so far.

Next: How LA Will Survive The Summer

And it’s going to mess the Lakers up for a long, long time.