The Los Angeles Lakers last season were a disaster. They missed their star players in LeBron James and Anthony Davis due to injuries and the youngster failed to deliver in their absence which resulted in their first-round exit from the playoffs.
While AD and LeBron form the backbone of this Lakers team, younger players like point guard Dennis Schroder, 2016 draftee Kyle Kuzma failed to chip in on the offensive side of things consistently leaving the veterans high and dry.
Therefore the Lakers’ front office decided to make some trades and bring in more veterans. One of the biggest trades that they pulled off was roping in Russell Westbrook from the Washington Wizards. In exchange for Westbrook, they traded away players like Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope supported by a few picks.
Recently Kuzma who was once a fan favourite for the Lakers claimed that he was shocked to see him being traded to the Wizards. “I was kind of shocked because I thought I was going to Sac (Sacramento). The Sacramento deal with Buddy Hield, like that s**t was done….”
“But then like out of nowhere you know it goes you know you’re going to Washington. I was super hyped obviously because it’s like a better situation you know.”
Kuzma revealed that he is very excited to represent the Wizards as he is looking up to playing with Bradley Beal. “To have an opportunity to play with like Bradley Beal um you know someone that is trying to really be a winner in this league because he’s a killer man.”
Westbrook was a shocker for a lot of people but before that, there were several reports claiming Sacramento Kings star Buddy Hield joining the Lakers in exchange for Kyle Kuzma. Hield was a good fit for the Lakers given their offensive woes but LeBron and AD preferred to go with Westbrook as it was a better deal under any circumstances.
The trade for Westbrook is undoubtedly the best trade of this offseason and the former Wizards point guard will add multiple dimensions to this team. However, it also allows Kuzma a chance to redeem himself in a new environment. The Washington Wizards franchise has shown a lot of trust in him and it will be interesting to see how things turn out in the upcoming NBA season.
