Kyle Kuzma has proven himself to be one of the bright spots on the Los Angeles Lakers over the last few seasons and up until last season, was at the center of their young core. After a mediocre season that saw the team finish 10th in the Western Conference, the team decided to trade Brandon Ingram, Josh Hard, and Lonzo Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Anthony Davis. At the time, it was believed that the Pelicans were pushing hard to get Kuzma in that deal but the Lakers liked him too much to give him up.
Kuzma has been receiving a ton of visibility this summer and most recently signed a lucrative deal with Puma. In an interview with Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register, Kuzma explained how staying in L.A. has helped his brand and that he tried hard to stay in the city.
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“We knew we had done everything possible, and we felt good about it,” Kuzma said. “And we said, ‘(expletive), if we turn around any day now and the Lakers turn around and we’re not a Laker no more, we know we’ve done everything possible.”
As the season approaches, the Lakers will be leaning on Kuzma for scoring as he looks to support the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He'll certainly be looking to prove that the Lakers made the right choice by keeping him.