Los Angeles Lakers: Three potential trade targets for Kyle Kuzma
The Los Angeles Lakers are having their best season in years, yet with the trade deadline approaching, many people expect L.A. to make a move to help them take that final step.
Recently, a report came out that said that the Los Angeles Lakers were open to listening to trade talks for forward Kyle Kuzma. This naturally caused plenty of speculation as to who the Lakers will try to get via trade, and who would be the best fit for the team.
Looking around the league and predicting the kind of value the Lakers could get for Kuzma, I came up with three different trade candidates for Kuzma that would make the most sense in helping the team capture a championship.
This idea is a new one as Kevin Love has been in the news recently for being extremely disgruntled in Cleveland, and reportedly wanting out. It’s no secret that Love hasn’t been the same player since LeBron James left for L.A, so why not reunite the two?
Playing alongside superstars like LeBron and Anthony Davis could really help him elevate his game as defenses will have to be so focused on LeBron and AD.
He is a strong presence inside and would fit in well with the Los Angeles Lakers’ identity of getting points in the paint. Aside from the inside game, Love is a pretty decent outside shooter. As of right now, he would have the 3rd best three-point percentage on the Lakers, and the second most three-point field goals.
This would help the Lakers three-point efficiency which is a weak spot for the team, without having to change their team’s identity.
There are a few problems with making this trade happen, however. While Love does very much want out of Cleveland, there is a large gap in salary between him and Kuzma. The Lakers would have to be able to work something out to make the pay increase a little bit more manageable, but he would be a big add for this team.
This is a move that many Laker fans have been talking about since the beginning of the season. The hope was that Memphis would buy him out of his contract, and this would allow the Lakers to go ahead and sign him outright. This would be a very nice fit for the team and could shoot the Lakers to the number one overall defense in the NBA.
He would fit in very nicely with the Lakers’ tough defensive mindset. L.A. is fourth overall in defensive efficiency, and he would add such a strong tough defensive presence on the floor.
While he isn’t the outside shooting threat that the Lakers could use, he is still able to score the basketball. He is a player that does not have a lot of flashes, but he gets the job done when he is in the game.
Getting ahold of Iguodala is going to prove a little tricky for the purple and gold. Memphis has no interest in buying him out of his contract, which makes the only way to acquire him, a trade. This has been a tough one for the L.A. because Memphis is wanting draft picks in exchange for him, and the Lakers are not in any sort of position to give away the few picks they have.
3. Derrick Rose
One of the things the Lakers are in need of is another playmaker to help out when LeBron is not on the floor. When Lebron is on the bench the team has struggled mightily to get the same kind of quality shots that are open when he is in the game.
Along with him being an excellent playmaker, he is also having a pretty good season in terms of scoring. He is averaging just under 18 points a game, being one of the best options on a pretty bad Detroit squad. Having him on the floor will create openings if he can continue to score efficiently.
This would not require too much creativity for the front office as he is playing on a pretty cheap contract. Getting him out of Detroit and to a title contender could be just the thing that Rose is looking for. As always with Rose, health is a question, but perhaps playing fewer minutes in L.A. will help him stay healthy moving towards the playoffs.
Next. The renaissance of Dwight Howard. dark
Each of these players would bring something very different to the table if the Los Angeles Lakers were able to acquire any of them. However, each of them would help improve an area on the team that could use improvement and help take the Lakers up over the top. Acquiring just one of these players could propel the Lakers to the favorites to win it all.