Kyle Kuzma is entering the final year of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. If he does not sign an extension, he will become a restricted free agent after this season. The 25-year-old forward recently said his agent has already talked with the Lakers about a possible extension.
The defending NBA champions could also use Kuzma as part of a trade to get a third star to Los Angeles, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. After signing an extension with LeBron James and giving a new five-year deal to Anthony Davis the Lakers used their cap space that could have potentially been used to acquire another superstar. However, Smith sees ways for the Lakers to make trade packages that would help them achieve just that.
“Pelinka could send out a package of Caldwell-Pope, Gasol and any number of players who could be signed and traded like Schroder, Kuzma or Caruso. That’s enough to get the Lakers in the $35-40 million dollar range it would take to acquire a star free agent.”
“If LA needs him for depth, they’ll re-sign Kuzma and keep him. If not, he could be signed and traded to bring a star to Hollywood or to add two to three players to flesh out the rotation, with $20 million going a long way in salary-matching.”
Kuzma’s name has been included in trade rumors virtually every offseason and prior to trade deadline. He is drawing significant interest from other teams and eventually could be used to form a super team in Los Angeles.
