Kyle Kuzma was seen as one of the top rising stars in the NBA back when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kuzma never quite lived up to the hype that the media had placed on him, and his career has started to see a decline. At 30 years old, the Milwaukee Bucks have a decision to make around Kuzma. Do they continue to keep Kuzma on their roster while his value is at an all-time low, or should they just trade him for what they can?
Matt Levine of TWSN created a trade scenario that sends Kuzma back to the Lakers.
In Levine’s article, he explains that, “Kuzma could provide the Lakers with more of a strictly wing-type player, rather than a forward-wing type that Hachimura is…Kuzma also would more naturally fit into the three spot for the Lakers, and has already has familiarity playing alongside James. Landing Kuzma also wouldn’t impact the Lakers’ plans for the 2027 season.” These are all great points, as the Lakers don’t seem to be opposed to moving on from Rui Hachimura. At the same time, Hachimura has more trade value than Kuzma, so let’s break down the mock trade created by Levine below.
Milwaukee Bucks Trading Kyle Kuzma to the Los Angeles Lakers
Now the mock trade that was created by Levine isn’t exactly straightforward, as it’s a three-team deal. That deal would involve the Bucks, Lakers, and the Miami Heat.
“Lakers receive: Kyle Kuzma and a 2031 second-round draft pick
Heat receive: Rui Hachimura and Gabe Vincent
Bucks receive: Andrew Wiggins”
The main problem with this trade comes from the Lakers. Although the Lakers would likely want an upgrade over Hachimura, Kuzma wouldn’t move the needle for them. Losing Hachimura essentially takes away the ability for the Lakers to make a big trade during the season. While Hachimura is going to have a number of suitors due to his age, not many teams will want to trade for Kuzma.
Does Kyle Kuzma Fit in Los Angeles?
While Kuzma would be a fine starter, it’s hard to see him moving the needle, which is what the Lakers need right now. They wouldn’t be keeping Hachimura, hoping that he can net them a better player than Kuzma in a one-for-one deal. Instead, the idea around keeping Hachimura is to maintain the ability to make a blockbuster deal with a ton of different assets involved.
Los Angeles Lakers 2025-2026 Outlook
The reason there’s been an emphasis on the Lakers needing to move the needle is that if you look at their NBA Finals odds, they’re not great. On FanDuel, the Lakers have +1500 odds to win the NBA Finals next year, which is 6th in the NBA. If the Lakers want to beat teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder or Cleveland Cavaliers, they’re going to need a much bigger upgrade than Kuzma could provide.
Kyle Kuzma Stats
Kuzma has now been in the NBA for eight years, and his career stats are 17 PPG, 5.6 REB, and 2.7 AST. To give you an understanding of why the Lakers shouldn’t be interested in Kuzma, let’s look at his 2024-2025 stats. Last year, Kuzma had 14.8 PPG, 5.7 REB, and 2.3 AST in 29.8 MPG.
This is just a trade prediction reaction about the Milwaukee Bucks trading Kyle Kuzma to the Los Angeles Lakers, not a report.
