LA Sports Hub
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: Trading Kyle Kuzma shouldn’t be out of the question

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Dallas Mavericks during a game at Staples Center on December 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 01: Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers defends Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Dallas Mavericks during a game at Staples Center on December 01, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Los Angeles Lakers have been phenomenal to start the season but with the depth across the hall, the team might still be one trade away from an NBA Title.

The Los Angeles Lakers have enjoyed a record-setting pace to start the season and have a 24-3 record through 27 games. The Lakers are on pace for a 73-win season and don’t even stand alone on the mountaintop as the Milwaukee Bucks also have a 24-3 record.

The reason for the Lakers’ success this season can be boiled down to LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The duo has proven to be as near-unstoppable as they looked on paper and is the heart and soul of this Lakers’ team.

They are not alone, however, as the Lakers did a great job of bringing in role players to surround James and Davis, some of which are surprising to non-Laker fans. Danny Green was the obvious hit that we all knew would be great in this system but the likes of Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard and even Alex Caruso have been much better than anticipated.

More from LA Sports Hub

The team is one of the best defensively and with a recent uptick in three-point shooting to overcome a slow shooting start, the Lakers have looked great on both ends of the court.

Despite having the best record in the league, the Lakers still have a tough task in the Western Conference. The Los Angeles Clippers are likely the team the Lakers will see in the Western Conference Finals, and despite a worse record, the Clippers have scary depth.

In the playoffs, when the rotations are shrunk to eight, maybe nine, guys, the Clippers are going to be tough to beat with both Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell coming off the bench. While the Lakers absolutely could beat the Clippers in a seven-game series with this roster, the team might be one trade away.

The Los Angeles Lakers do not have much trade capital anymore after the Davis trade but there is one more reliable player that could be dealt and it should be considered — Kyle Kuzma.

Kuzma is loved by Laker fans and just the mention of possibly trading him is probably going to rile up some of the fan base. The only way the Lakers should trade Kuzma is if it is worth it; the team should not be out on the market shopping him jus to shop, but if they get something that helps the team more than Kuzma, they should not be afraid to jump on it.

Kuzma has battled multiple injuries this season but even when he is on the court he has not been the same impactful player that we saw in years past. Kuzma is averaging 11.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, compared to the 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds from last season.

Those aren’t even the most important numbers to consider, the most important number is minutes played. Kuzma is playing just 23.1 minutes per game, 10 minutes less than he played last season.

The reason for this, and Frank Vogel likely recognizes this, is that he is simply not a great fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Not only does he play in the frontcourt alongside LeBron and Davis but he does not check either box for a player that succeeds around James.

You either need to be someone that can shoot threes or play good defense. Kuzma’s three-point shooting has been better this season, 36 percent and his defense is not good whatsoever. While he does fit the billing of a stretch-four on paper this season, it is really hard to play him in crunch time as a third scoring option as it forces AD to play center and sacrifices team defense.

The right price for Kuzma is currently unclear. Kevin Love is an interesting big-name player that is available in the trade market, although that is not much better of a fit than Kuzma.

Bill Simmons and Brian Windhorst speculated (not reported) on The Bill Simmons Podcast that Sacramento’s Bogdan Bogdanovic would be a great fit in LA and that could be a trade worth exploring.

Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent after this season and is averaging 14.8 points with a 39.9 three-point percentage.

He plays better defense than Kuzma and can come off the bench at the two or the three and absolutely could be played in crunch time alongside LeBron, Danny Green, Davis and either Howard or JaVale McGee.

Next. The Lakers have nothing left to prove. dark

It is not worth trading Kuzma just to trade him, but based on his performance and how the Los Angeles Lakers are using him this season, it would not be all that shocking to see him sporting a different uniform in 2020.

Home/Los Angeles Lakers