Lakers Rumors: Examining Kyle Kuzma's Long-Term Future After New LAL Contract

The Los Angeles Lakers lost their season-opener against the cross-town Clippers on Tuesday night. That's disappointing, but the Lakers are still the defending NBA champions and have a bright future ahead of them.

That future is going to include two of the best players on the planet. LeBron James signed an extension in the offseason, while Anthony Davis re-upped with a five-year deal that can be terminated after four.

Los Angeles' future, at least for now, is also going to include Kyle Kuzma, who signed a new three-year, $40 million extension earlier this week. Kuzma was reportedly seeking a bigger deal but decided to go with a more team-friendly option.

Why? Let's dig into some of the latest buzz surrounding Kuzma's new Lakers contract.

Kuzma Initially Sought a Bigger Deal, Signs an NBA-First Contract Instead

According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Kuzma was asking for more than he eventually received from the Lakers.

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

This isn't a massive surprise, as Kuzma is a potential star—albeit the third-biggest on the Lakers, at best—and NBA players usually seek to earn as much as possible. The deal he ultimately signed ensures that he'll be on a championship team for the foreseeable future while still maximizing his future earnings.

The deal is also a pioneering one for the NBA. Kuzma has a third-year player option that is an NBA first, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski:

Kuzma has oozed potential since being dealt to the Lakers in a draft-day deal back in 2017. However, he has yet to fully blossom into a consistent playmaker. If that happens over the next couple of seasons, Kuzma will have a chance to opt out and go back on the market while still in his playing prime.

What's truly fascinating about the deal is that it could set the stage for similar contracts in the future. In a league dominated by team control, giving options to non-max players could make for some intriguing contract offers.

Kuzma's New Deal Not All About The Money

While Kuzma is undoubtedly betting on himself by including the player-option, earning future dollars—and getting a sizeable chunk of them now—wasn't the only motivating factor to signing the extension.

Kuzma knows that he must continue developing as a player, and he's looking to use his time with James, Davis and Co. as a learning experience.

"Just being able to align myself with those guys and also just continue to learn and develop as a player and human," Kuzma said, per Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register. "And to be in an opportunity to be in a championship window, to continue to win championships, until my deal is up when I'm into my prime."

In a sense, Kuzma is getting the best of both worlds. He's locked on to a championship squad for the time being, and he'll still get to hit the market in a couple of years. Yes, future earnings are a factor here, but so is the opportunity to study under a pair of all-time greats.

Los Angeles fans will hope that Kuzma can help deliver a couple more titles while he's getting his education.

But is it a Bad Deal for Los Angeles?

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

While the player option is good for Kuzma, it could be bad for Los Angeles. Since Kuzma's extension won't officially take effect until after the current season, it makes him essentially untradeable in 2020-21.

This is an angle that The Athletic's John Hollinger recently examined:

"One of the best ways they had to upgrade their roster in-season was to put Kuzma into a trade, especially since the Lakers don't have a tradable first-round draft pick until 2027. The Poison Pill provision of contract extensions effectively takes this option off the board now for L.A. For better or worse, Kuzma and the Lakers are stuck with each other."

Should a team trade for Kuzma this season, his incoming value for salary-matching purposes—under the "poison pill" provision—would be an average of his current salary plus the average of his extension. For Los Angeles, his value would simply be his current salary.

This would make for a lopsided trade on the salary front—one that virtually no team is going to want a part of. This means that it's extremely unlikely that any team is going to deal for Kuzma before his extension officially takes effect.  

As Hollinger put it, the Lakers and Kuzma are indeed stuck with each other for the 2020-21 season.