On a Friday episode of ESPN’s “The Jump,” Marc Spears suggested that the Los Angeles Lakers trade for Kemba Walker. In his statement, he implied that Kyle Kuzma could be part of the deal.
“If I’m the Lakes, I’d go after Kemba Walker. Kuzma looks like he’s on his way out.”
Marc J. Spears
Spears’ reference to Kuzma connects to the young forward’s recent activity on social media. Kuzma recently removed the Lakers from his bio section on Instagram. These days, such action is an indicator of an impending change of scenery for a given player. It wasn’t too long ago that Dennis Schroder, another player rumored to be leaving the Lakers, did the same
Kemba Walker to the Lakers?
Regarding Kemba Walker, the veteran point guard got traded to Oklahoma City on Friday morning. The move comes following a down year from Walker in 2021. While his play has dipped during his tenure in Boston, he still showed flashes of stardom that often shone while in Charlotte. Maybe a different, more favorable situation is all he needs to get back to all-star form.
Since the Thunder are in the early portion of a rebuild, acquiring a player of Kemba’s caliber may interfere with their long-term plans. Thus, moving him in exchange for younger talent and potentially more draft capital might be their goal. It would be the same approach the Thunder took last offseason. They traded veteran players left and right, boiling their roster down beyond recognition.
As for the Lakers, Rob Pelinka has already made his intentions of retooling the championship roster known. Additionally, to Spears’ point, one of the top players on the chopping block in LA is Kyle Kuzma. So creating a trade package centered around him and sending it to OKC for Walker does make sense in theory.
As a four-time all-star, Kemba could be a true third option for the Lakers in relief of Anthony Davis and LeBron James. In return, Kuzma can expand his game on an OKC team, taking the long route to re-establish itself out West.
