The Lakers, not satisfied with their first-round playoff exit in 2021, are apparently on the hunt for some shooting help in the offseason. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Los Angeles has talked with the Kings about a possible trade for shooting guard Buddy Hield.
Charania reports that such a deal that would likely see L.A. reserve power forward Kyle Kuzma headed to Sacramento, a team loaded with power forwards. The Lakers have received interest in Kuzma from multiple teams, Charania adds.
Kuzma inked a three-year, $40MM contract extension during the 2020 offseason that kicks in during the 2020/21 season. He averaged 12.9 PPG and 6.1 RPG on .443/.361/.691 shooting in 68 games (28.7 MPG) in 2020/21.
As for Hield, he had a stellar individual season in Sacramento, averaging 16.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 3.6 APG, with a shooting line of .406/.391/.846. The 28-year-old swingman is under team control through the 2023/24 season, on a declining deal that will pay him $22.8MM this year, $20.8MM in 2022/23, and $18.9MM in its final year.
Several Lakers guards are unrestricted or restricted free agents this summer, so adding a sharpshooter in his prime with the pedigree of Hield to help spread the floor and allow Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis room to operate makes sense on paper.
According to Charania, pursuing a Hield trade is just one possible path the Lakers could go down, as the team is also expected to show interest in free agent guards like Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Spencer Dinwiddie. All three are said to be interested in playing in L.A.
We do need shooting but man I still want to find a way to get chris Paul as my first option but not sure it’s possible unless he takes a 30 million pay cut and would anyone do that , maybe a sign and trade idk if possible
No. Chris Paul is not coming to the Lakers. Lol
Sure and then maybe you could get Bradley Beal and Westbrook for a max signed Dennis Schroder and a max signed Andre Drummond in a sign and trade. Then maybe you could get John Collins on a minimum salary deal that Atlanta refuses to match. These things are about as likely to happen as Paul taking a $30MM pay cut to play for LA.
Bruh it’s already been reported by shams that suns won’t help facilitate a trade meaning if cp3 walks we can’t sign him. So unless he takes vet minimum it’s highly unlikely. Lakers are more in line for Lowry or dinwiddie and likely a player like hield.
I’d say Chris Paul gives it another try with the Suns. He would love to have his team win a championship a little more than “joining” LeBron and Anthony Davis and win a ring. Doing it and leading a young suns team would be a lot more satisfying for him I would believe.
CP3 had a great season, but then broke down in the playoffs. Not surprising. He’s old and signing him to even a 3 year deal will hurt the Suns. They had everything lined up for them this year in terms of other West teams being hurt. That’s not going to happen again and adding an aging and more prone to break down CP3 isn’t going to improve their position.
Boston2AZ I think it’ll be a two-year deal but the second-year player option. In other words let’s give it one more try, one year and then he can opt out and do the Laker thing or whatever. I really think he’ll give it one more shot to be his own man before he teams up with LeBron or one of his other buddies and try and get a ring.
Would have to be a precursor to a Bagley or Barnes trade. Makes no sense at all to have Kuzma/Barnes/Bagley on the same team.
Wonder if lakers deal gets expanded to include barnes or bagley?
Kings get
Kuzma 13 million
Kcp 13 million
2021 first rounder 3 million
Gasol 2.6 million
Lakers get
Hield 23.5 million
Bagley 11 million
Gives lakers a capable wing and a big that can shoot outside and create spacing for ad and bron in bagley. I like it, I also think bagley has a lot of untapped potential
If harrell opts in for 9.5 million
Lakers could also include him.
Lakers get
Hield 23.5 million
Barnes 21 million
Kings get
Kuzma 13 million
Kcp 13 million
Harrell 10 million
2021 first round pick (lakers)
It works money-wise, but neither deal really does anything for the Kings other than give them the guys the Lakers don’t want. I could see Hield for Kuzma and the first or even just Hield for Kuzma straight up if the Kings really want to get rid of Hield’s contract, but I don’t see either extended deal working out.
Since when is having the 119th best field goal percentage of the 124 eligible players in the league stellar? 126th in VORP, 120th in BPM. I’d argue he was more earthly than stellar.
Since more games are played on Earth than in outer space, Space Jam excluded, I would think having an earthly shooter is better. :)
I would imagine it’s because of the record number of injuries last season contributed to there being such a low number of players who qualified for season stats in 2021, if it was just 124 in the entire league.
2021-22 Salary
Hield $22m
Kuzma $13m
My opinion
Add Horton Tucker 3 year contract in the package
$9m
$10m
$17m
Total $36m
How about no deals to help LBJ win again.
It’s the Kings, nothing they do ever makes sense.
Kings should be using Hield or Haliburton along with the #9 pick and other assets to acquire SGA from the Thunder. Pairing SGA with Fox would create a pretty dominant back court.
Say Haliburton goes to the Thunder, I’d use Hield in a deal to acquire Myles Turner from the Pacers. Or vice versa.
Assuming you can get Turner to agree to an extension. Turner and Holmes would be a good 1 2
The thunder don’t want to trade SGA.
He’s young and they view him as about of the future
Take Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more than that to get SGA, who the th7bder have ZERO interest in trading…..
Hmmm….th7bder = thunder
Haliburton, #9, and other assets
Hield, #9, and other assets.
Without knowing what the other assets are how do you know its not enough?
And don’t come back with “Dude trust me brother it’s not enough”.
Maybe drink WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY less before commenting. Might help your spelling and reading comprehension. And don’t try to say auto correct….no way your phone autocorrected thunder to th7bder
If they can’t sign and trade Schroeder I think it’ll be a moot point what the Lakers do. The Hield trade doesn’t help Sac. I’d rather have Hield or get a better return. Harrell will most likely be gone by either opt-in then trade or not opt in. So the question is, who will help LA? Derozan and or Lowry to LA is gonna be damn near impossible unless they take massive paycuts. They’ll have to get super creative to find room.
Yeah they clearly want to move Schroeder but who wants him? Hield for Kuzma is basically trading your trash for my trash and hoping we find treasure.
I’ll believe the DeRozan Lowry rumors when Woj reports they want to take 25-30m paycuts.
I’ll take some local talent on the Lakers like dinwiddie or derozan
Isn’t it virtually impossible for the Lakers to make trades or take on salary?
No
At least no more than it is for the Warriors.
Yes
Whenever I read all these “stories” about this guy coming to the Lakers and that guy is coming to the Lakers, I think that some people (mostly LA fans) think that all of the NBA teams are somehow going to start up a great big GoFundMe with players instead of money so that the they can contribute to the Lakers’ well-being. I doubt that they are.
I’m not even a Laker fan, but I want this to happen just to see the comments. The Lakers could add Simmons, Beal and Paul off the GoFundMe wire, full salary paid!
Lebron can offer them Space Jam 2 roles and they can do birthday parties in custume to cover the difference.
Only thing before draft that even works is Kuzma MckINNIE and Gasol (who’d they waive) + 22 for Buddy –
I don’t like it for either team, that 3rd yr on Hield could be a legitimate problem for a team in flux (LBJ decision). The redundancy w KCP creates potential problems as well
Rather keep that cap open to go Big
Pelinka was Hields agent tho
Kuz for Wood??
Unless you are talking about a case of Duraflame logs, I think you might be overvaluing Kuzma.
Need at least 5,000,000 logs to get close to matching Kuzma’s salary.
I could see LAL going after Hield, but only if it’s viewed as a quasi-salary dump of Hield, wherein the LAL get to jettison both KCP and Kuzma, and retain #22. They get some immediate cap/tax space in exchange for giving some up longer term. I wouldn’t move #22 in any deal that doesn’t addresses the PG situation (can’t rely on a S&T with DS netting value).
Kings need to move Buddy this offseason. If they can unload Bagley in the same deal that would be ideal. After that move Barnes to Golden state for Wiggins plus pick and re sign Holmes. Fox-Haliburton-Wiggins-Kuzma-Holmes as starting 5. That’s about the maximum for Kings potential this year
lmao this is the reason the Kings are the laughingstock of the NBA. they want bum ass Kuzma aka lakers trash and will gift them a decent to solid player in Hield. Why would the Kings who get laughed at by LA help them out. theres countless teams who would give them a better package for Hield.
No one on the Lakers has any trade value. Shroeder,Kuzma,Talen are overrated as hell.
The KINGS chose Hield over Bogdanovich, only to flip Hield for Kuzma ……. seems about right for this topnotch organization.