Kyle Kuzma isn’t too worried about his future with the Lakers. The player’s name has been a recurrent topic in recent days since he’s yet to pen a new deal with the Purple and Gold. He’s seen as the third star of the team behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis and he’s embraced that role, accepting that his time is coming and he only needs to wait.
He doesn’t have any problem with that and he doesn’t have any problem with his looming extension. He was part of a group of third-year players seeking for some sort of insurance protection for their upcoming contract extensions. He doesn’t seem to care too much about it right now, as he expressed during a Zoom call on Wednesday.
“I mean, I’m gonna get paid regardless so I don’t really care,” Kuzma told the media on Wednesday, via Sabreena Merchant of Silver Screen and Roll. “It’s gonna happen one day. So I don’t think about that.”
The Lakers are reportedly studying various possibilities to deal with Kuzma’s situation. They have plans for next year and Kuz could play a big role.
Via DJ Siddiqi of Forbes:
It had recently been stated by John Hollinger — former NBA executive with the Memphis Grizzlies — that an extension between Kuzma and the Lakers was unlikely. In fact, Hollinger states that it’s possible that the Lakers allow Kuzma to play out his contract before attempting to re-sign him as a restricted free agent next offseason.
Hollinger also gives Kuzma a pretty low value in terms of market value at just $6.7 million per year. Not exactly the type of contract a player of Kuzma’s youth and skill-set would be looking for on his next deal in the thick of his prime.
As Sabreena Merchant explains, the Lakers are trying to keep the salary cap space for the summer of 2021. Kuz will have to wait until he gets paid big money since a Greek player will be a free agent and the Lakers may be pushing for his signature.
Still, the young Kyle has earned the confidence and the appreciation of his teammates and the team’s front office. Perhaps he knows something that we don’t and he feels secure about his future with the franchise, regardless of who they sign next year.
