The Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to upgrade their roster this offseason. While the ideal addition would be a superstar, this option may not be available to them. One option to upgrade their roster may be a reunion with Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma.

After being drafted 27th in 2017, Kuzma spent his first four seasons with the Lakers, before being traded to the Wizards in a trade for Russell Westbrook. This past season, Kuzma averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 rebounds. While he’s been quite a solid player, the Washington Wizards were bad this year and will be looking to build for the future. Kuzma will be twenty-nine at the start of next season and doesn’t fit the Wizards’ timeline. 

What Does Kuzma Add?

Kuzma would provide another strong scoring option for the Lakers, which they need. Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both getting older and have missed games with injuries or load management. In the games that they miss, the team could greatly benefit from having someone who can be a top-scoring option to run the game. 

While chemistry is often a concern when adding in new pieces, this shouldn’t be a concern. Kuzma was part of the Lakers championship-winning team in 2020, alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Already having a history with the Lakers’ top players would be a massive plus, and the hope would be that this would limit any learning curve while integrating him into the roster. The Lakers would hope that the team could hit the ground running and start the season strong.

The Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to upgrade their roster this offseason and a reunion with Kyle Kuzma could be what they do to try and turn themselves back into contenders.

Potential Trade Package: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, 2024 1st Round Pick