Washington Wizards small forward Kyle Kuzma had a hilarious reaction to one of Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka’s quotes on May 23 about the team’s NBA offseason plans.
Pelinka said he wants to keep the core players on the Lakers together during his exit interview. When Kuzma saw that quote, he reacted on Twitter by saying, “Heard that before.”
The Lakers traded Kuzma to the Wizards in the summer of 2021 in the blockbuster Russell Westbrook trade. The forward never wanted to be traded by Los Angeles, as he was part of the 2020 championship team.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Westbrook trade was a disastrous move by the Lakers, who missed the play-in tournament last season and started this season 2-10. Fortunately, Pelinka traded Westbrook to the Utah Jazz at this year’s February trade deadline.
The Lakers had the best record in the Western Conference after the trade deadline and made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Denver Nuggets in four games.
Kuzma can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he declines his $13 million player option for next season. The 27-year-old averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Wizards this season while shooting 44.8% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc, and 73.0% from the free-throw line.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
There were actually rumors connecting Kuzma to the Lakers this season near the trade deadline. However, the LakeShow acquired Rui Hachimura from the Wizards instead. Hachimura becomes a restricted free agent this offseason and the Lakers are expected to re-sign the talented swingman.
Kuzma will always be linked to the Lakers since he was drafted by Los Angeles and won a championship with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. The Utah product finished his Lakers career with averages of 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 276 games.
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