The Los Angeles Lakers do not have to look far for their next move after losing Jonathan Kuminga.
They could bring back Kyle Kuzma.
California Post reporter Khobi Price listed Kuzma among the Lakers’ potential trade targets after Kuminga chose Minnesota, giving Los Angeles another path to address its need for a bigger, versatile forward.
A workable 2-for-1 trade framework could look like this:
Lakers receive: Kyle Kuzma
Bucks receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Washington’s 2032 second-round pick
It would be more than a nostalgic reunion.
It could solve two problems at once.
Lakers Can Fix Roster Crunch in Kuzma Trade
The Lakers currently have 16 players on guaranteed contracts, one over the regular-season limit. Price noted that Los Angeles must eventually get down to 15 while also navigating a hard cap at the first apron.
Turning Vanderbilt and Knecht into Kuzma would immediately get them there.
It also works financially.
Kuzma is owed about $20.5 million in the final year of his contract. Vanderbilt is making approximately $12.4 million, while Knecht’s salary gives Los Angeles enough outgoing money to legally match Kuzma’s contract under NBA trade rules.
That expiring contract matters.
After missing on Kuminga, the Lakers should be careful about sacrificing future flexibility simply to fill a hole in August. Kuzma would allow them to make a meaningful upgrade without committing long-term money beyond this season.
Los Angeles also would not need to start with their remaining primary asset: their 2032 first-round pick swap. Vanderbilt remains a useful defensive forward; Knecht is a former first-round selection with shooting upside and a future second-rounder gives Milwaukee another asset.
Why Milwaukee Might Listen
The Bucks have entered a dramatically different phase after trading Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat this summer.
Milwaukee received Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis and significant draft capital in the blockbuster, leaving the Bucks to retool around a younger, deeper roster rather than chase another title around Antetokounmpo.
That could make Kuzma expendable.
The 31-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and is no longer guaranteed a major long-term role. Milwaukee has Jaquez, 19-year-old Nate Ament, Ousmane Dieng and Ware among the forwards and bigs who need developmental minutes. A recent Brew Hoop analysis described Kuzma as more of a temporary piece while examining Milwaukee’s unsettled power-forward rotation.
Moving him for Vanderbilt, 27, and Knecht, 25, would give the Bucks two players under team control beyond this season while adding another draft asset.
For a franchise beginning a new cycle, that is at least worth a conversation.
Kyle Kuzma Gives Lakers Different Answer After Kuminga Miss
Kuzma is not Kuminga.
He is older and does not possess the same upside that made the Lakers willing to chase the former Warriors forward.
But Kuzma might actually be easier to plug into a team trying to win immediately.
The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists for Milwaukee last season.
More importantly, the Lakers already know what Kuzma can look like on a contender.
He spent his first four NBA seasons in Los Angeles and became an important complementary piece on the Lakers’ 2020 championship team. Rather than demanding the ball, Kuzma eventually learned how to rebound, defend multiple positions and operate around stars.
That experience would matter next to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
A lineup featuring Dončić, Reaves, Quentin Grimes, Kuzma and Walker Kessler would give JJ Redick more size without sacrificing offensive versatility.
And unlike a smaller move for a backup center, a Kuzma trade could address the Lakers’ starting lineup and roster crunch simultaneously.
Missing on Kuminga was a setback.
It does not have to leave the Lakers without another move.
If Milwaukee is ready to turn one expiring veteran into younger pieces and another draft asset, a familiar face could become one of Los Angeles’ cleanest paths forward.
Lakers Trade Pitch Lands Former NBA Champion After Jonathan Kuminga Miss