Lakers Rumors: Reports claim Lakers interest in a deal for Buddy Hield

Lakers rumors will be picking up steam as the NBA Draft and free agency gets closer and closer, but this one may make sense. A reported deal containing Kyle Kuzma and Buddy Hield. Lake Show Life breaks down the potential deal and why this trade may be more than the Lakers rumors floating around the internet.

The Los Angeles Lakers rumors cycle is starting turn and it’s not going to stop this week leading up to the 2021 NBA Draft on Thursday and after the NBA free agency period starts next weekend. On Friday the NBA world was on edge about the possibility of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan being interested in joining the team. Lake Show Life covered the situation and the comment section exploded.

•  Lakers Rumors: Reality of signing Kyle Lowry and DeMar Derozan

The Los Angeles Lakers are clickbait gold to writers and a negotiation tool for NBA teams. In all actuality, no one knows what will happen at least until the night before the draft because Rob Pelinka discusses his moves in press conferences after the fact. But here’s a list of things that are not Lakers rumors.

• The Lakers franchise and fanbase is not satisfied with their first-round playoff exit in 2021.
• They are prioritizing shooting and playmaking in the offseason.
• The options for getting those priorities met are limited due to the salary cap and upcoming decisions on some free agents.
• LeBron James is not getting any younger.
• Dennis Schroder’s situation is becoming a bigger challenge with each passing day.
• The Lakers are offering Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in a package that includes front row Staples Center tickets next Jack Nicholson and Denzel Washington (Okay the last part is Lakers rumors!).

But on ESPN’s “Woj and Lowe Draft Special”, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers have offered their two most tradeable role player contracts to just about every team in the league and how it ties into the future of Dennis Schroder.

Earlier Sunday morning, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that the Lakers have been in trade talks with the Sacramento Kings about Buddy Hield, with the center piece being forward Kyle Kuzma. Charania stated the trade is starting to gain traction. He also reported that multiple teams have inquired about Kuzma.

Let’s spare Lakers Nation of rehashing Kyle Kuzma’s disappointing season with regression of his effectiveness. Anyone tired of hearing about how prior to the Anthony Davis trade, Kuzma was one of the best offensive options on the roster? How about his struggle with his new role?

No. Let’s deal with the here and now.

Understand that a lot can happen between now and the free agency period, so don’t expect this trade to become set in stone. Hield has also been a part of Ben Simmons rumors, so we could potentially see the 76ers rumor to break out over the week. It’s not like he won’t linked with the Lake Show in free agency too right?

• Lakers Rumors: Reasons why the Lakers should ignore Ben Simmons

Over the next several pages Lake Show Life will break down the possible Buddy Hield/Kyle Kuzma deal from angles. Why now? How these two can help their destinations and how the salaries add up. If it doesn’t happen, don’t be surprised. These teams haven’t done a deal since the 1992-93 season. Who was that Lakers player? Kurt Rambis.  

Sacramento has had their eyes on Kuzma for quite a while thanks to this guy…

Lakers Rumors: It really very simple. Luke Walton likes Kyle Kuzma and Buddy Hield butts heads with him. 

Yes, there were some trollers that thought writer Jonathan Kiernan was crazy when he laid out reasons for the Lakers to trade for Buddy Hield about a month ago…OOPS!

• Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons to trade for Buddy Hield

A Kings-Lakers trade would reunite Kyle Kuzma with his first head coach Luke Walton, from whom Kuzma played the first two seasons of his career with a scoring average of 17.3 points per contest. His production during the 2018-19 season, averaging 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game are the numbers the team, fans and Kuzma have been waiting on for the last two seasons.

Kuzma fell out of favor in his fourth NBA season with averages 12.9 points, 6.1 points and 1.9 assists per game. Even after complaints of his role playing behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, teams still see potential for him to take a leap forward in production.

Kuzma has been a favorite of the Kings for a while, regardless of who is running the front office, but now the dynamics have changed. Vlade Divac is gone and Monte McNair has taken over a the lead decision maker. Last year around the trade deadline, Sacramento offered Nemanja Bjelica and a pick for Kyle Kuzma. Rob Pelinka refused and asked for Bogdan Bogdanovic. Bogdan was a favorite of Divac and was turned down.

Then Divac resigned as GM and Bogdanovic left for Atlanta.

Strangely after Buddy Hield signed four-year, $94-million extension with the Kings, his relationship with the Kings started to sour when he was sent to the bench behind Bogdan Bogdanovic. Things got bad enough that Hield requested a trade. Here’s why the deal could go through.

• Just like Kuzma, Hield’s stock is low given his public displeasure with the team and trade request.
• He had a down season last year with a scoring average 16.6 points per game which was his lowest total since his sophomore season.
• Rookie Tyrese Haliburton’s impression as one of the top rookies last season has made Buddy expendable.

With Marvin Bagley III almost surely out the door as well, Kuzma could be his replacement. Bottom line, both players could use a fresh start to resurrect their careers in different uniforms.

Now let’s discuss what Buddy Hield brings to the table as if the majority of Lakers fans don’t know already…

This is not some Lakers Rumors: Buddy Hield can shoot 3 pointers, will shoot 3 pointers and is not scared of shooting 3 pointers!

The staff of Lake Show Life will go out on a limb and say that the Los Angeles Lakers would make this trade because Buddy Hield is known for making a 3 pointer or two.

But seriously folks, Rob Pelinka’s first priority is to improve the team’s spacing this offseason with shooting (No not centers!) to clear the lane for LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Lakers for the last two seasons have been one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA. The Lakers could not find any consistent shooting last season, specifically in the playoffs. As a team, the Lakers shot 34.9 percent from deep last season, which ranked in the bottom third of the NBA.

Hield will be a huge upgrade over Kentavious Caldwell-Pope no matter if he shoots poorly or not. Why? By the end of last season, KCP, Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker showed reluctance to shoot from beyond the arc. Caldwell-Pope at times was the fearful shooter that Ben Simmons was in the playoffs not shooting the ball when open.

Buddy has averaged 18.9 points per game over the past three seasons with the Kings shooting 40.3 percent on over nine 3-point attempts per game in 2020-21. Last year, he shot an average of 10.2 attempts.

The Lakers will definitely be sacrificing defense in this deal and they shouldn’t look for top shelf ball-handling and play-making either. This is all about the shooting that Hield brings to the offense.

Enough about basketball analysis…time to go to the office and crunch numbers.

Lakers fans haven’t heard this in Lakers rumors in a while…YES!

There has been a litany of misinformation in the Lake Show Life comment sections that have caused confusion on the options of getting players like Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal or Chris Paul. Let the staff put this to rest with a quote from The Athletic’s, Shams Charania…

"The Lakers used their treasure chest of assets — such as promising young players in Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, and draft picks — in the Davis trade with New Orleans in 2019, which makes a superstar trade for a player like Beal or a superstar signing like Paul impossible. … For the Lakers, the offseason is expected to be a quest for a third playmaker and shot-creator — not a faulty pursuit for a star player."

Buddy Hield is not a star, but he’s an easier acquisition than the players listed above. Let’s crunch the numbers.

Comparing Kyle Kuzma and Buddy Hield’s contracts: 

Kuzma:

Last offseason, Kuzma signed a three-year, $40 million contract extension that starts during upcoming the 2020-21 season. He is scheduled to be paid $13 million.

Hield:

Buddy’s contract runs  through the 2023-24 season with $63 million left on his deal. HOWEVER…it is a declining deal that pays him $22.8 million this year, $20.8 million in 2022-23 and $18.9 million in its final year.

With Hield making close to $23 million this year to Kuzma’s $13 million, the Lakers have to include assets to pull this deal off.

What are the options for the Los Angeles Lakers?

• If Montrezl Harrell opts into his player option at $9.7 million, his contract fits perfectly into the trade. However, it’s HIS option and his contract decision is up in the air until July 31. Then you have to assume that he would want to go to a Sacramento team full of power forwards.
• The Lakers could offer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who is owed $13 million this coming season and another $14 million during the 2022-23 season. The kicker to sell to the Kings is that only $4.9 million of the second year is guaranteed. KCP’s addition would add another $3 million to the Kings’ salary cap for this season, but he played for Walton.
• Finally, the Lakers could throw in their 2021 first-round pick. Even though their 22nd pick is not eligible to be traded until after the draft, L.A. can trade their 2027 first-rounder and numerous second-rounders over the next half-decade.

As of this writing, the Lakers have quite a number of guards that are unrestricted or restricted free agents this summer, so if they want to add a sharpshooter like Buddy Hield to help spread the floor and allow Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis room to operate…\

Make the deal.