Lakers Rumors: Kyle Kuzma Came Down on His Asking Price to Sign New Contract

Kyle Kuzma agreed to a three-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $40 million, but the forward was initially hoping for a bigger deal.

"Kyle's asking price was higher, he came down and locked himself in," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on The Hoop Collective podcast (51:32).

Kuzma does have a player option for the 2023-24 season, which is the first time a non-max player received an option on a rookie contract, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. It could allow him to land a bigger deal in two years if he exceeds expectations. 

The 25-year-old has seen his value fluctuate over the past few years.

Kuzma earned All-Rookie honors after being selected 27th in the 2017 draft and became a go-to option in 2018-19, averaging 18.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He finished second on the team in scoring behind only LeBron James and ahead of Brandon Ingram.

The addition of Anthony Davis led to fewer minutes for Kuzma in 2019-20, and his production declined significantly, with averages of 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while his 43.6 percent from the field was a career-low.

Despite the struggles, he was still a key rotational piece for a team that went on to win the NBA title.

With one year remaining on his rookie deal, Kuzma decided to stick with the Lakers with the hope of bringing home more championships.

Playing time will still be hard to come by with Davis returning plus the additions of Montrezl Harrell and Marc Gasol, although the forward clearly likes the fit in Los Angeles above testing the waters in free agency.