Los Angeles Lakers: Players with the most to prove if the season continues

2. Kyle Kuzma

Kyle Kuzma was one of the hottest names on the NBA trade rumor mill prior to the trade deadline but the Los Angeles Lakers ultimately decided to stand pat and not move the young forward.

However, just because Kuzma was not traded at the deadline does not mean he is off the table in the offseason. There are zero doubts in my mind that Rob Pelinka would trade Kuzma if it made the team better and there are some good reasons to look for a trade.

First of all is the fit, something that I have hammered home multiple times on Lake Show Life. To fit into the logjam at forward, Kuzma needs to either be a reliable three-point shooter or a good defender. He is neither, as and a result, we have seen his playing time and usage drop significantly.

Another reason that is not talked about that much is that Kuzma is going to be a restricted free agent after the 2020-2021 season. Depending on how the Lakers’ salary cap situation is, chances are they could get outbid by another team, losing Kuzma for nothing.

Now, what can potentially keep the Lakers from trading Kuzma despite all of these things? If he has an excellent showing in the NBA playoffs and proves that he could bring something new, something additive to the table when the stakes are the highest.

If he continues having the impact that he is currently having, which is not bad but is replacement with worse overall players, then I could see the Lakers flipping Kuzma for a position of need.