Kyle Kuzma is the last remaining remnant of the Lakers’ infamous young core. In the years between Kobe’s retirement and LeBron’s arrival, Kuzma was among several early-year players considered to be the future of the franchise.
Of course, when King James signed in the summer of 2018, the Lakers lost the time to wait on their players to develop and the team began an instant transition into “win-now” mode.
Aa year after watching much of his teammates get traded, Kyle Kuzma is among the longest-tenured Lakers — though, his time with the team may soon be expiring as well.
In an article, Ian Begley of SNY briefly described the Kuzma situation, indicating his long-term status is still very much up in the air.
In Los Angeles, there isn’t a consensus among decision-makers about signing Kyle Kuzma to a contract extension, SNY sources confirm (as first reported by The Ringer). I don’t see Los Angeles seriously considering a trade of Kuzma in the offseason, but it’s something worth keeping an eye on if you’re a Knick fan. The Knicks pursued Kuzma in trade talks at the 2020 trade deadline.
Coming off an impressive Championship run, the Lakers are entering a critical offseason. With most of their roster set to become free agents, they’ll have to decide which players they want to bring back.
At his best, Kuz is a lethal scorer who can shoot just about anywhere on the floor. At his worst, he’s a defensive liability who struggles to remain consistent on a game-to-game basis. As LeBron James continues to age, things like consistency and dependability will matter increasingly more.
He averaged 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game on 43.6% shooting last season.
