The Sacramento Kings have been linked to Kyle Kuzma, but how would he fit next to Marvin Bagley in the frontcourt?
A longterm need of the Sacramento Kings is an ideal pairing alongside Marvin Bagley in the frontcourt. Part of the issue with finding a partner for the former number 2 pick is the lack of clarity regarding Bagley’s position between the four and the five. Marc Stein mentioned the Kings having an interest in Kyle Kuzma of the Los Angeles Lakers, with a potential exchange including Bogdan Bogdanovic.
Kuzma (24) is three years younger than Bogdanovic (27), but Bogdanovic is clearly the superior talent currently and likely long-term. Bogdanovic is able to create off the dribble and run an offense at times in a way that Kuzma struggles to do, and Bogdanovic is a significantly better three-point shooter as well. This would be a talent downgrade for Sacramento from every angle, but in this piece, I want to focus on the potential fit of Kuzma next to Bagley rather than debating if Bogdanovic should be traded in order to obtain him — because he shouldn’t.
The Bagley/Kuzma Pairing
What would be optimal next to Bagley? Ironically, someone that projects to be Atlanta Dewayne Dedmon or a Myles Turner type-player; a big who can space the floor effectively so that Bagley can ideally function as the roll man in the offense and more importantly a defensive presence that can quiet Bagley’s flaws.
A trade for Kuzma would likely mean that Vlade Divac and Luke Walton view Bagley as a center, something that has not been apparent previously. But I would agree. The Los Angeles Lakers’ forward has logged 93% of his minutes this season at the power forward, per basketball-reference.
Bagley has an extraordinary offensive upside, yet numerous questions are left to be answered on the defensive end and Kuzma is likewise. A projected frontcourt duo of Bagley and Kuzma would more than likely be a major liability on the defensive end, which already discourages me from this idea as Bagley is desperate for a partner to mask his defensive errors, a la Wendell Carter Jr during his college days at Duke.
What Would Kuzma Bring?
Kuzma does provide moderate spacing for Marvin Bagley, assuming his three-point shooting continues to trend upwards throughout his career. Kuzma is currently shooting 34.6% from deep in and an elite 54% from the corners. Notably, he never shot higher than 40% from the corners in his short career before, so this could be an outlier half-season currently taking place. Kuzma also runs the pick-and-roll as a ball-handler more frequently than playing the roll-man himself.
Kuzma does have an ability to create off the dribble, but holds an abysmal 4.8 assist percentage in his third year, per Cleaning the Glass, which ranks him in merely the 7th percentile positionally. Kuzma’s turnover total in the current season is close to doubling his assist total, not great. He prefers to take it himself and most possessions will end in a jump-shot as he attempts just 25% of his shots at the rim and finishes only 51% of the time.
While the spacing is somewhat intriguing, Kuzma’s creation features tunnel vision comparable to Buddy Hield and his defensive struggles would make Bagley seem that much worse. There is no world where trading Bogdan Bogdanovic for Kyle Kuzma makes the Sacramento Kings a better team, and the report from Marc Stein frighteningly sounds as if Vlade would include more in the deal.
Sacramento is among the teams that has tried to engage the Lakers in Kyle Kuzma trade talks, league sources say. The Kings know they would have to include sharpshooter (and soon-to-be restricted free agent) Bogdan Bogdanovic, for starters, in a Kuzma deal
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 6, 2020
There is no elite, or even decently above-average skill that Kyle Kuzma holds, while Bogdanovic has his shooting ability and provides a much-needed playmaker in the second unit, who can also close games.
The rumors that Bogdanovic will be too expensive for Sacramento to retain this upcoming offseason in restricted free agency are simply not true unless he is offered a near-max deal, which will not happen in a market with such limited spending capabilities.
While Kuzma has a familiarity with Luke Walton and shown an ability to explode for 30+ point games on occasions, the pairing does not appeal to me in the slightest. And Kuzma’s fit next to Bagley surely does not warrant trading Bogdan Bogdanovic and potentially more in order to have.