What could make the Wizards give up their best player though?
Kyle Kuzma is the Washington Wizards’ best player. He has a team friendly contract that could be easily movable. And because he is producing big numbers, multiple teams are interested in poaching him from Washington.
According to Anthony Irwin of Lakers Daily, Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka is starting to feel a bit more heat after missing out on some other bigger name free agents and is looking to build his LeBron James, Sr.-led roster back to championship contention. And they have inquired about Kuzma’s availability to the Wizards, among several players they are interested in. Their trade talks are also most productive with Washington.
It makes sense as to why the Lakers would be interested in Kuzma. He was a key contributor for their 2019-20 championship team and is well-liked by the core players and figures who remain with LA. Also, Kuzma has also remained fond of LA.
Irwin mentioned that if the Lakers made a trade for Kuzma or another player, LA would likely give up some combination of Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino to the team they do business with. Of these players, the Wizards, albeit not the current front office, are familiar with Hachimura, since he played for Washington from 2019-23 in the first years of his career.
I’m not surprised that the Lakers are interested in getting Kuzma back. But I wonder if the Wizards feel the same about Hachimura, assuming such a deal happens with him specifically. Also, Washington indicated that they want multiple first round draft picks in return for Kuzma, something that the Lakers will have difficulty giving up due to their cap situation, so a Kuzma to Lakers deal could involve another team.
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