Despite all of the trade rumors over the last two years, Kyle Kuzma’s future with the Los Angeles Lakers has never seemed more up in the air than now. A trade seemed more likely than ever just from a logistical standpoint when the Lakers were initially eliminated from the playoffs and now it feels extremely likely.
Not only are the Lakers looking to improve in any way they can but Kuzma has made some comments that are particularly interesting. His cryptic comment on an Instagram post hinted at a change of scenery. He also had some interesting comments in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report’s Tyler Conway.
Kuzma said in the interview that he believes he can reach all-star levels and average 25 points per game if he was just given a consistent role. Kuzma’s words hold a lot of meaning behind them.
"“It’s hard to be consistent in an inconsistent role. I’m excited for a more consistent space next year.”"
If the Los Angeles Lakers trade him it will likely be part of a bigger package and the return is likely not going to be a forward, just based on some of the trade candidates. Thus, Lakers may have to turn to free agency to replace Kuzma’s spot on the depth chart.
There are several free-agent forwards who are better fits on the Los Angeles Lakers than Kyle Kuzma.
Kuzma may have a higher ceiling than some of these guys because he is still young and theoretically should have room to go. But when it comes to pure fit on this team based on their skill set, these options are indeed better than Kuzma.
And of course, we are keeping the selections in the realm of possibility as the Lakers do not have much financial flexibility this offseason.