2 reasons why the Kings should and 2 reasons why they shouldn't trade for Kyle Kuzma

Reason #2 Against Trading For Kuzma: A Little Bit Of A Ball Stopper

Today's NBA game is all about read-and-react basketball. Get the ball, and in .5 seconds, decide whether you want to pass, drive, or shoot. Few teams stand for this philosophy the way the Kings do. Last season, they were second (behind only the Indiana Pacers) in passes made per game.

Kuzma will certainly put a dent in that crusade. On average, he held the ball for 3.32 seconds per touch last season. That is kind of a lot for a player who is supposed to function more as a play-finisher. For reference, Julius Randle (a player who gets a lot of flack for being a ball stopper) only held the ball for 3.15 seconds per touch in 2023-24.

Then again, some of this could just be Kuzma playing on a team lacking in offensive firepower. In Los Angeles, he did a great job fitting in with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, those teams were predicated more on their defense than their offense (they were only 11th in offensive rating in 2019-20). So, it is still up for debate how strong an offense featuring Kuzma can be.

Overall, this may sound like a cop-out, but I think I really need to see the terms of the deal before I decide whether I like the idea of the Kings trading for Kuzma or not.

Kuzma is a younger (by four years) and better power forward than Barnes. But I don't know that his strengths outweigh his weaknesses so much that I'd be willing to part ways with Barnes, Huerter, and multiple draft assets for Kuzma.

Maybe some combination of the two and a matching salary would work for me. For instance, I'd be open to a Kuzma trade where we gave up Barnes, Chris Duarte, and a first round pick in exchange for his services.

At the end of the day, I like a lot of what Kuzma can bring to this team, but he wouldn't be my ideal big name to trade for this offseason.