NBA Rumors: Lakers Could Trade Kyle Kuzma To Nuggets For Monte Morris, ‘Lake Show Life’ Suggests
The Los Angeles Lakers may have been leading the Western Conference at the time the NBA suspended its season on March 11, but that hasn’t prevented the team from being mentioned in trade rumors in recent weeks. Some reports have brought up how the Lakers appear to have some noticeable weaknesses, particularly their lack of options at the point guard position, and in a recent list of offseason trade ideas, one publication suggested that the team should trade third-year forward Kyle Kuzma to the Denver Nuggets for their second-string point guard, Monte Morris.
Writing for Fansided‘s Lake Show Life, Jason Reed pointed out that trading Kuzma to the Nuggets might be the “most doable and most beneficial” move that involves the 24-year-old forward. He explained that such a move could benefit both sides, given that Denver power forward Paul Millsap will be entering free agency in the coming offseason and the team would need to ensure it has enough salary-cap space to afford star guard Jamal Murray’s contract extension.
As for the Lakers, Reed opined that Morris is a point guard whose shooting ability from long range makes him an ideal fit for the team’s needs, while also allowing him to thrive under head coach Frank Vogel’s system.
“With Morris’ contract expiring after the 2021 season, like Kuzma’s, it makes more sense to flip him for an asset that would better suit the team’s needs.”
Kyle Kuzma drops 20 PTS in the 1st quarter on #NBAonABC! #LakeShow pic.twitter.com/8oj1GJXPTT
— NBA (@NBA) January 20, 2019
Currently in his third season in the league after being picked by Denver in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft, Morris has posted averages of 8.4 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, and he is shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point territory, per Basketball-Reference. Assuming he gets traded to the Lakers, he will be joining a point guard rotation that has mainly featured the likes of veteran Rajon Rondo and youngster Alex Caruso over the last two seasons.
Meanwhile, Kuzma’s production has declined in the 2019-20 season, following a breakout sophomore campaign in 2018-19 where he produced 18.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. According to Basketball-Reference, the former first-round pick’s stats this season include averages of 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists, as well as shooting percentages of 43.2 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from beyond the arc as a reserve forward.
While the above trade suggestion included the assumption that Kuzma could replace Millsap as the Nuggets’ starting power forward, the Denver veteran was interestingly mentioned in a separate article as a potential free-agent target for Los Angeles. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Lakers could be among Millsap’s possible destinations in the 2020 offseason if he chooses to prioritize signing with a championship-caliber organization.
