Lakers Rumors: NBA Experts Think LA Should Bring Back 2020 Champ Via Trade

It will cost LA some future draft equity, but that's the name of the game.

On a recent episode of his podcast The Game Theory, The Athletic's Sam Vecenie spoke with The Volume's Jason Timpf about all things NBA, including your struggling Los Angeles Lakers, currently the No. 12 seed in the West at 18-21.

Both experts agreed that there was one player in particular who could be a perfect trade target for your Los Angeles Lakers, assuming the team's front office, led by team vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, is willing to surrender a little future draft capital in the offing: Washington Wizards power forward Kyle Kuzma. 

Kuzma, of course, spent his first spent his first four seasons in LA, and proved to be a crucial piece in the team's 2019-20 title run.

On the podcast yesterday with @_JasonLT, we dove into why Kyle Kuzma is the ideal trade target for the Lakers at the deadline.

As Jason says, he solves the most problems for the Lakers of players that could be available.

FULL EPISODE: https://t.co/KHjRK9qx1K pic.twitter.com/8z13XmN6jk

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) January 3, 2023

"Kuzma's the one that I keep coming back to as well [as a Laker fit]," Vecenie said. "He has been awesome this year first and foremost as a legit shot creator who can get to that little hook shot in the midrange, who can knock down threes -- he's actually become a fairly sizable-volume three-point shooter who is confident and comfortable knocking down shots. I think he's shooting 34, 35 percent from three."

"You actually kind of have to close out on him in a pretty real way, you have to pay substantial attention to him when he has the ball because he is so creative and because he has gotten quite a bit better in my opinion as a passer and playmaker."

"The other thing about Kyle Kuzma is, we know that that dude loves LA," Vecenie added. "We know that that guy would not mind living the rest of his career in LA, which means I think that they can actually move one of those two first round picks for him, one of the 2027 or 2029 first, and feel confident and comfortable that there's gonna be a real return on investment, not just this year, but long-term, because you get his Bird rights moving forward. So that's the kind of move that just makes a lot of sense to me. And on top of it, you don't have to move the Russell Westbrook contract to be able to do that. Patrick Beverley's deal actually lines up very very well within such a deal. Are the Wizards going to do better than, like, unprotected 2027 or maybe like top-two protected 2027 first-round pick and an expiring deal for Kyle Kuzma? I'm not convinced they do."

Timpf weighed in, concurring with Vecenie's prognosis.

"And let's be clear, let's put our GM hats on again... Is there a pick that I would want more than one that Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka's competence directly relates to the outcome of?... I'm sorry but, and with LeBron's James, it's just one of those things where I'm with you. I think there's a lot of value in those two particular picks which is what's so particularly frustrating about this situation because they straight-up have the means with which to give reinforcements to this group... He immediately solves so many specific problems with that Lakers group, he is such a natural fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, I think it's a no-brainer."

It is kind of funny that, just a season removed from throwing away Kuzma, a pick, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell to the Wizards in exchange for Westbrook, LA will have to offload yet another pick just to bring Kuzma back. But it's also the price of doing business, and Kuzma would serve as a terrific on-court compliment to James and Davis, as Timpf notes.

This season, Kuzma is averaging 21.4 points on .461/.337/.705 shooting splits, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 39 games for the Wizards, all starts. It's no question that he would be a huge help in shoring up LA's frontcourt, while the over-the-hill Beverley has offered very little for LA in a career-worst year.