Following the Lakers’ elimination from the playoffs Monday night, the team is facing a pivotal offseason, much of which will revolve around LeBron James and what he decides about his own playing future.
Despite various uncertainties, general manager Rob Pelinka discussed the team’s plan for the offseason Tuesday, telling reporters that he wants to retain most of Los Angeles’s key players.
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, who played four seasons for the Lakers, caught wind of Pelinka’s comments, and he clapped back with a perfect response.
“Heard that before,” wrote Kuzma on Twitter, followed by a trio of crying emojis.
Heard that before 😭😭😭😭 https://t.co/pBgwCp0HAV
— kuz (@kylekuzma) May 23, 2023
Kuzma was part of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Westbrook from Washington to Los Angeles back in 2021. He, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell were offloaded to the Wizards in the deal.
At the time, Kuzma had been considered to be part of the Lakers’ emerging young core, but when the chance to land a star such as Westbrook was put on the table, Pelinka jumped on it and shipped the former No. 27 pick to Washington.
With another important offseason looming in L.A., Pelinka reiterated his desire to keep the team’s core intact.
“We’re incredibly proud of this group, obviously, to get to the Western Conference finals. I think after the trade deadline we had one of the top records in the league. I think keeping that continuity is going to be very important,” said Pelinka. “That’s a high priority for us … to keep our core players together.”
"We’re incredibly proud of this group … keeping that continuity is going to be very important."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 23, 2023
Rob Pelinka: End of Season Interview pic.twitter.com/NwuHhKO6Wz
While Pelinka indicated he’s not hoping to see too much roster turnover, Kuzma couldn’t help but laugh at that notion.
