Kyle Kuzma reveals true feelings on Russell Westbrook-to-Lakers trade

09/05/2024 11:01 PM

Despite all the jokes that folks want to give them, the 2020 NBA Championship is considered one of the toughest ever won in the history of the league. In a year that was taken over by the COVID-19 pandemic with no end in sight, the NBA restarted its season in the Orlando bubble, where Kyle Kuzma, LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers won the championship.

The Lakers, however, only gave that core another season, which ended in injury-riddled fashion, before breaking up the core. In the 2021 postseason, Los Angeles led the Phoenix Suns 2-1 in the postseason, but dropped three straight games following the injuries to Anthony Davis and the continued ankle struggles of LeBron James.

Kyle Kuzma on Lakers breakup after 2021 season

Following their first round playoff exit against Phoenix, Rob Pelinka and the Lakers broke up the team, trading away Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Montrezl Harrell to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Russell Westbrook.

The trade was an awful fit and effectively ended any chances the Lakers had of competing for an NBA Championship. And looking back at it now, Kyle Kuzma says he wishes Pelinka and the Lakers gave that Lakers core another shot at competing because he thinks they were still contenders for the NBA title.

“Oh, for sure, 100 percent,” Kyle Kuzma said an interview with All Star Magazine in the Philippines. “I think it's tough because they kind of gave up on me and they gave up on that team a little too early. Probably panicked a little bit, but you know in the NBA, things happen fast. You never know what's going to happen next. It's always like a revolving door, so we had a tough little stretch so it happens.”

The 2021-22 Lakers were significantly hampered by injuries, as Anthony Davis played just 40 games and LeBron James played just 56 while Russell Westbrook played 78.

And even when they were healthy, it wasn’t for long enough to build a rhythm, as the 2021-22 Lakers finished with a 33-49 record and missed the playoffs entirely. The Lakers were outscored by -4.2 points per 100 possessions when James, Davis, and Westbrook were on the floor together.

The depth the Lakers had the year prior with Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope turned out to be something they sorely missed.

“I mean, we were up 2-1 and [Anthony Davis] got hurt and it all went down the drain,” Kuzma added. “That [2020-21] season was hard for us because Bron got hurt. Solomon Hill ran into him. AD was down. We had a lot of different lineups and we came back from the bubble where we won the championship in October and then we had to play like two months later so naturally it was tough, but we would've won back-to-back.”

While the trade ultimately ended everyone’s championship hopes, it did allow Kyle Kuzma to blossom into his own. This past season, Kuzma averaged a career-high 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the field and 33.6 percent from three.

That Los Angeles core didn’t even last long, with the Lakers firing Frank Vogel and trading Russell Westbrook in a move that brought back D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Despite landing the second overall pick in Alex Sarr in the 2024 NBA Draft, Washington is widely expected to finish as one of the worst teams in the NBA again.

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