When the Brooklyn Nets acquired D’Angelo Russell on Draft night in June, the main piece going to the Los Angeles Lakers was Brook Lopez, who, as a 29 year old with one year left on his contract, didn’t fit the Nets’ timeline for rebuilding.
But Brooklyn also sent the Lakers the 27th pick in the Draft, which L.A. used to select Kyle Kuzma, who ranks third among rookies in scoring at 15.7 points per game, shooting 56 percent from the field. Kuzma would be a great asset to have, but Nets general manager Sean Marks won’t admit to having any regrets, in part because he may not have drafted Kuzma had he kept the pick.
The New York Post‘s Brian Lewis spoke to Marks about the deal on Friday:
Rookie Kyle Kuzma, who was taken with the 27th overall pick that the Nets sent to the Lakers with Lopez, had 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting.
So, does general manager Sean Marks have a case of seller’s remorse?
“No,” Marks told The Post earlier. “The pick was part of the deal. Who knows who would’ve drafted Kyle? Kudos to the Lakers for that.
“But at the end of the day that wasn’t ever a factor in our [mind]. Our deal was it’s the right time to go get that talent and try and develop D’Angelo. And put Brook into a situation where the Lakers wanted him, so it’s as good situation for him too.”
Lopez and Kuzma combined for 55 points (on 21-for-34 from the field) and 23 rebounds in their first game against the Nets, a 124-112 win on Friday.
