Former Utah Hoops Star Kyle Kuzma Has A New Home

With the NBA draft taking place on Thursday night, trades throughout the league were abundant in one of the more exciting draft nights. But the biggest move off all was bringing Russell Westbrook to LA and sending former Ute star Kyle Kuzma to Washington

Five days before Christmas this past year, Kyle Kuzma was pretty sure what his immediate future looked like.

He signed a 3-year, $40-million contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers, just months after helping bring the city of LA an NBA title with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Player option on a non-max rookie extension is a first in league, a creative wrinkle that allows Kuzma into unrestricted free agency in his prime at 28. Smart move and great benefit for Kuzma should he out-perform this deal headed into summer of 2023.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 20, 2020

The deal was structured perfectly for a player such as Kuzma, who showed early signs of being a star in the league before the addition of more 'seasoned' players began to slow his development.

His extension was supposed to keep him in Los Angeles through the 2022-23 season, giving him a player option ahead of 2023-24 season. The player option comes when Kuzma will be 28 years old and should be entering his prime, so if he out-plays his current contract, he should be able to negotiate a new deal.

Sep 30, 2020; Orlando, Florida, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with forward Kyle Kuzma (0) during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat in game one of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

But it's crazy how fast things can change.

Kuzma struggled mightily during LA's run to the NBA title, leading to many questions being asked regarding why the Lakers would've offered him an extension. After this past season, Kuzma did not help his own case to truly justify the contract extension.

He finished the season averaging 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game on 44.3% shooting from the field and 36.1% shooting from the floor. Although the total numbers weren't ideal, the percentage from beyond the arc gives hope that Kuzma could develop into a cornerstone piece for a franchise.

Well as we've learned recently, Kuzma will have a chance to be a cornerstone of a franchise — just not with the Lakers.

According to reports and later confirmed by Sports Illustrated, the Lakers and Wizards have agreed to terms on a monster trade involving Kuzma and Russell Westbrook.

BREAKING - Russell Westbrook is heading to the Lakers, sources tell @ShamsCharania.

Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the 22nd pick are going to Washington in exchange for Russ, a 2024 second-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. pic.twitter.com/gpBJZfvvYP

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 30, 2021

Draft day for Kuzma was extremely interesting — and confusing at parts. He was mentioned in three different trades throughout the day, most notably being linked to Sacramento in a trade for sharpshooter Buddy Hield. But while the scenario eventually fell apart, the Laekrs were able to get a superstar to join James and Davis — even if it came at a steep price.

For Kuzma, the trade is a fresh start and a chance to recapture the magic from his first two seasons in the league when he averaged 17.4 points, 5.9 rebonds and 2.2 assists in 32.2 minutes per game. Kuzma should immediately slot in Washington's No. 2 role behind prolific scorer Bradley Beal.

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