Los Angeles Lakers: 5 offseason roster moves they need to make

Los Angeles Lakers offseason move No. 4: Trade Kyle Kuzma and his large contract

The Lakers signed Kyle Kuzma to a three-year, $39.0 million deal last summer as an extension to his rookie contract. Given how he played last season, Kuzma did not play up to his future deal and the Lakers suffered as a result.

Kuzma was only paid $3.9 million for last season but if past performance is any indicator for future performance, then the Lakers are not going to be happy for the next three seasons. Kuzma averaged 12.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 28.7 minutes per game.

While these numbers look reasonable, there was a point in the season that Kuzma was putting up shots that never looked like going in. He also managed to cost the Lakers a number of games with his play. This is not what you want for the team’s fourth-highest player.

Kuzma only started 32 of the 68 games that he played. Markieff Morris was preferred as a starter over Kuzma as he had better results on the defensive end. Also, if the Lakers do not have the $13 million due to Kuzma on the books then they can sign a number of other pieces to fit around James and Davis. This will hopefully take them to another deep playoff run.