Kyle Kuzma: LeBron James, Anthony Davis Factored into New Lakers Contract

After signing a three-year, $40 million extension on Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma acknowledged that the ability to continue playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis factored into his decision to stick around.

"Yeah, I got a great situation having a 2+1 player option and being able to align myself with those guys and also continue to learn and develop," he said, per Lakers.com's Mike Trudell. "To be in a championship window until my deal is up when I'm into my prime. It's a win-win."

James signed a two-year extension that will keep him in Los Angeles through 2023, while Davis agreed to a five-year deal that goes through 2025. 

Kuzma's new deal runs through at least 2023 with a $14.3 million player option for the 2023-24 season, a rare detail for a non-max contract, per Wojnarowski. That allows Kuzma to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time at 28 as he enters the prime of his career.

The 6'8", 221-pounder impressed as a rookie, with 16.1 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in an All-Rookie campaign, but he fell into the shadows of Davis and James this year, his third in the league. After starting in 68 games in 2018-19, Kuzma came off the bench in all but nine of his 61 appearances, regressing to just 12.8 points on 43.6 percent shooting, with 4.5 rebounds.

Through this year's preseason, Kuzma added 22 points per game while shooting an impressive 47.6 percent from three. 

The extension, which originally looked like it wouldn't come before Monday's deadline with Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group reporting Thursday that talks had been tabled, will give the 25-year-old more room to discover where he can fit in on a loaded roster.