The Lakers lost in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs and struggled toward the end of the season as LeBron James and Anthony Davis were both banged up. However, the roster's problems go beyond the injured stars, and GM Rob Pelinka is looking to fix a big problem area this offseason.
Los Angeles shot just 34.9 percent from beyond the arc last season, which was tied for 23rd in the NBA with the Timberwolves. As such, the Lakers are looking for an upgrade and they may have one in mind.
As Shams Charania of The Athletic reports, the Lakers are pursuing a "player who provides playmaking and shot creation" around James and Davis. One option that they have discussed trading for is Kings guard Buddy Hield, and a package to get him could include Kyle Kuzma.
The Lakers and Sacramento Kings have discussed a deal centered on guard Buddy Hield, sources tell The Athletic. Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma would be involved in a potential package, per sources. The Lakers have received interest from several teams regarding Kuzma, sources said.
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Hield certainly would be an upgrade for the Lakers. He is a career 40.6 percent 3-point shooter and made 39.1 percent of his shots last year while averaging 16.6 points and a career-high 3.6 assists per game. He may not have as many shots per game with the Lakers, but he would provide the team with a good spot-up shooter around James and Davis.
As for Kuzma, his play has stagnated the last couple of years despite working with LeBron and AD. During his first two seasons, he averaged 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game on 45.3 percent shooting. In two years with the stars, he has averaged just 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while seeing his shooting percentage dip to 43.9 percent.
Kuzma just turned 26 and still has some upside, but the Lakers seem ready to move on from him. In fact, the Lakers seem ready to deal both him and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, as ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski detailed in a recent podcast with Zach Lowe.
"Almost every team I talk to in the league has been offered some combination of Kuz and KCP," Wojnarowski said. "Sometimes both of them, one of them, and that's not going to get them back a point guard of Dennis [Schroder's] stature."
Breaking down free agent guard Dennis Schroder and the Lakers on the Woj & Lowe Show pic.twitter.com/fFjJTXDgj4
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2021
Maybe that package won't land a quality point guard, but could it land them a shooter like Hield? Perhaps, though Los Angeles may have to add draft capital to it. At the same time, Hield has expressed displeasure with Sacramento at times over the past couple of years, so maybe the Kings will be interested in giving the 28-year-old Hield a fresh start.
