During the offseason last year the Lakers traded Kyle Kuzma along with other players to the Wizards for Russell Westbrook. The traded ended a four-year spell for Kuzma in Los Angeles.

Speaking with the media on media day, the forward revealed that getting traded by the Lakers was tough for him, but having a fresh start in Washington helped with that.

“I’m a real person, I’m really authentic of who I am and I love when people are authentic with me,” Kuzma said. “The fan base here has been amazing, especially coming from L.A. I was kind of in like a little dark place. My exit and how people perceived me in the fan base it kind of hurt me a little bit. But coming here it was a fresh start.”

Last season the 27-year-old forward averaged 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 33.4 minutes per game for the Wizards.