Kyle Kuzma trolled the Lakers on Twitter after their wholesome approach to handling this offseason sounded a bit too familiar.
After playing four seasons with the Lakers and helping them secure their 2020 championship, Kyle Kuzma still seems salty about his departure from LA.
Combine getting swept by the Nuggets with LeBron hinting at retirement, and you have the current feeble state of the Los Angeles Lakers. Undeniably, the Lakers have a lot of work to do this offseason. With assets like Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt, if you’re in the Lakers’ front office, the job only gets that much more difficult. Who’s going to get paid what? Who do you keep happy? Who do you cut ties with?
The NBA is a business and not a friendly one. Kuzma knows this better than anyone. After all, he was traded in 2021 as part of the Russell Westbrook blockbuster deal, and after seeing the Laker’s plans for this upcoming offseason, Kuzma took to Twitter:
Kyle Kuzma hasn’t forgiven the Lakers for changing their mind about trading him
Despite earning a much bigger role with the Wizards, it appears Kuzma still feels a certain way about that young Lakers core he was once a part of, and what could’ve been if they all stuck together.
For context, the Lakers drafted Kuzma with the 27th overall pick in 2017. He joined a young, hungry core featuring Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and Lonzo Ball. All three are no longer with the team, which is exactly what Kuzma meant by the tweet.
Admittedly, thinking of Kuzma, Ball, and Ingram on the fast break after a few training camps together is a very enticing concept. However, whether it’s watching Hart with the Knicks, Lonzo in Chicago, or B.I. in New Orleans, seeing all these former Lakers flourish elsewhere in the NBA, only helps validate Kuzma’s point and frustration.
Statistics show this year, Kuzma averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. Though it’s worth noting that he hasn’t received any All-NBA honors or accolades since departing from the Lakers. His last accolade? All-Rookie First Team in 2018. Given Kuzma’s vocal discontent with how things were handled, the Lakers’ trigger-happy transaction history and his own free agency this offseason, could we be looking at a return for Kyle Kuzma in the purple and gold?