Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma became a sneaker free agent this off-season, but he is a sneaker free agent no more.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Kuzma will no longer be repping for Team Nike after officially signing a five-year deal with Puma. The New York Times' Marc Stein reports that Kuz will receive $3M annually as part of the multi-year contract.
The Swoosh had 10 days to match Puma's offer but they have obviously elected not to do so.
Kuzma has been rocking Nikes since entering the league in 2017 and he was recently featured as part of Undefeated's Nike Kobe 4 Protro collection, which honored other "Team Kobe" guys such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker and DeMar DeRozan.
In signing with Puma, Kuz joins a stable of young stars that includes this year's third overall draft pick RJ Barrett, as well as Kevin Knox, DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and Michael Porter Jr. Puma also has a number of vets on their roster, including DeMarcus Cousins, Terry Rozier and Danny Green.
The brand recently introduced their brand new basketball sneaker, the Puma Clyde Hardwood, which nods to the original Puma Clyde sneakers that Walt "Clyde" Frazier wore on the court during the '70s. The kicks, priced at $120, will make its retail debut on October 18 in a trio of white-based colorways including White/Black, White/Green and White/Pink.
