The Los Angeles Lakers are always looking to add some of the most prominent names around the NBA, and they will do whatever they can to give LeBron James some more help.
And with the Washington Wizards blowing it up by trading Bradley Beal away, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see Kyle Kuzma opting out of his contract to become a free agent.
With that in mind, Alex Kirschenbaum of Sports Illustrated believes that the Lakers could be interested in a reunion with the Utah product, who’d be an upgrade over Rui Hachimura.
NBA Rumors: Lakers Could Pursue Kyle Kuzma
“It’s reportedly possible Kuzma could seek a reunion with the Lakers, who shipped him out to the Wizards as part of their disastrous deal for ex-All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2021,” wrote Kirschenbaum.
“Given that he’s essentially a better version of younger incumbent combo forward Rui Hachimura (a former Wiz teammate of Kuzma’s), one wonders if the Lakers would renounce their rights to the restricted free agent and let him walk to accommodate a Kuz reunion,“ the report added.
Kuzma admitted that he needed to get away from L.A. to break out and be at his best, and he had a borderline All-Star season. Then again, he might look to go back to the Lakers and pursue another ring, even if that means taking a lesser role again.