Insider Reveals Why Lakers Can’t Trade Key Player

The Los Angeles Lakers will probably trade for a player by the NBA trade deadline. They may sign a trade deal or check out the buyout market. LA has shown interest in several players. Will General Manager Rob Pelinka find a way to get the players he needs?

Kyle Kuzma is probably the most tradeable asset on the Lakers roster. This season, the Lakers may not “dangle” any of the young stars. The team offered Kuzma a three-season contract extension worth $39 million in the offseason.

Lakers may not trade their player

Kuzma’s extension deal is tacked on to the final season of his rookie deal which pays him about $3.5 million. The young Laker will make $13 million in the 2021-22 season. League rules make it hard for players like Kuzma’s situation to be handled.

Bobby Marks from ESPN discussed Kuzma’s potential trade. Well, LA can’t really trade him.

“For players still on their rookie deals before an extension kicks in, the NBA counts their fourth-year salary as outgoing money and the average of the extension amount and last year of their rookie contract as incoming money. One example: Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma would count as $3.5 million in outgoing salary for the Lakers but $10.6 million for an acquiring team.”

Is this the “poison pill” provision experts were talking about in the offseason? One thing stands for sure. Kuzma is probably safe until the end of the 2021 season.

Kuzma will stay with the Lakers by the end of the season. They won’t trade him. However, this doesn’t mean Kuzma is going to be a Laker forever. After the regular season is over, Pelinka should be free to trade the young Laker if necessary under regular salary rules. LA would have to match $13 million in outgoing salary with the same incoming salary.

Many thought that Kuzma would develop into the team’s third star. However, he is averaging 11.5 points per game in the season. This is a career-low for the Laker. Anthony Davis is out and Kuzma got more chances, but his numbers are still low.