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Following this summer's acquisition of Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers' eventual shopping of Kyle Kuzma felt inevitable.

Unloading much of the young core for a superstar sped up L.A.'s timeline. And Kuzma was suddenly the only contract on the roster that resembled a trade asset.

If the Lakers needed to upgrade midseason, Kuzma would almost have to be involved.

Well, they may have reached that point.

"Will Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka eventually send [Kuzma] packing to upgrade the Lakers' roster for a title run?" The Athletic's Sam Amick wrote. "As our Shams Charania reported Friday, teams are monitoring his situation and wondering whether he can be had before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. What's more, sources now say the Lakers have shown a recent willingness to listen to pitches for Kuzma."

At 24, Kuzma may be a little older than some realize. And his defense has fluctuated between bad and dreadful throughout his career. But he is 6'8", averaged 18.7 points in his second season as a pro and showed flashes of three-point prowess as a rookie.

He may have some value on the trade market. For teams out of the playoff chase looking to unload veterans to contenders, maybe Kuzma could serve as a proxy for getting a second-round pick.

When scanning the league for teams that might have ambitions for turning Kuzma into an above-average player before he hits his prime, a handful emerges.

One note before we get to them, though. Because Kuzma's 2019-20 salary is so low (relative to other NBA players), you'll find Avery Bradley attached to him in most of the trade packages.

His inclusion doesn't move the needle one way or the other in a basketball sense (though he's been decent on defense for the Lakers), but his salary gets L.A.'s outgoing money close enough to the incoming contracts to satisfy the collective bargaining agreement's trade rules.