The Kings Are Reportedly One Of The Teams Interested In A Kyle Kuzma Trade

When the Kings surprised everyone last season on the way to a 39-win season there was a lot to be excited about. The offense was fast and fun. The roster was young and talented with guys like De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield leading the way. There was reason to be excited about what the Kings could be in the future. Get a coach in Luke Walton that seemed to never have the roster necessary to break out of his shell with the Lakers and you have a chance at something great here.

As it has turned out, the Kings have failed to live up to those optimistic expectations. Walton has disappointed in slowing the Kings down and turning their offense into a bit of a slog, the young players have not taken the step forward many hoped to see (in part due to the change in pace and system), and there’s frustration across the roster with Dewayne Dedmon, signed this summer, already issuing a public trade request.

Sacramento’s front office, led by Vlade Divac, seems to be ready to shake things up at the deadline to hopefully get out of this funk (and clear up some questions about the future). One player they’ve apparently shown interest in is Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

There have been rumors circulating that multiple teams are interested in the Lakers young scorer. So far Los Angeles has been resistant to the idea, but have recently grown more willing to at least listen to offers. Kuzma currently has an awkward fit on the Lakers due to his rather ball dominant style on a team with plenty of ball dominant players already. Kuzma has worked, and done a decent job, shaping himself into a spot-up shooter when he’s sharing lineups with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, but it has never felt like a perfect match. He’s not the perfect third star that some in the Lakers front office might have hoped he would be.

The Lakers infatuation with Kuzma might be why their asking price for him is so high. Someone like Bogdan Bogdanovic would slide in perfectly into how the Lakers are currently constructed. He’s an incredible shooter and in secondary lineups he has the ability to create his own shot. He does everything Kuzma does but better. Which is why it’s odd that the Kings would even consider trading him, but there have been rumors that he’s uncomfortable in Sacramento since October. While he’s denied them, the Kings might be looking to get some value from him with restricted free agency looming and a high price tag possible.

However, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports a possible deal wouldn’t be a 1-for-1 swap, noting the Kings value Bogdanovic and would be looking for more in return than just Kuzma if that was the base of a package.

The rumors surrounding Kuzma’s availability will only grow as we near the deadline, with counter reports and intel being floated for various reasons.