Kuzma sparked headlines with a pointed comment on social media about the Lakers’ post-2020 moves, replying to a post comparing the current roster to the early 2020s group with the line: “You can’t get a center when two people making $600 million lol.” Davis responded with a brief Instagram remark: “Stop it, 0. Lol.” The exchange appeared more playful than hostile, though it touched on a core issue: the challenge of adding depth when two superstars command a large share of the salary cap.
Kuzma has argued that the combination of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, both on large contracts, limited the team’s ability to improve the roster with meaningful additions. Davis is known to prefer playing at power forward rather than center, which may have influenced how the team prioritized positions and flexibility in constructing the supporting cast.
An important point in Kuzma’s wider observation is that blockbuster contracts for a small group of players can constrain a team’s ability to surround them with high-quality role players. While James and Davis clearly deserved their contracts for what they contributed, their salaries consumed a substantial portion of the cap, making it harder to assemble a balanced roster.
However, the retrospective assessment also highlights that the Lakers’ decisions post-2020 were not solely about payroll. After Davis’s injury-ridden 2021 season, the team swung a high-risk move by trading multiple rotation players to acquire All-Star guard Russell Westbrook. While Westbrook brought elite individual stats, he did not fit seamlessly with the rest of the roster, and the combination ultimately contributed to the instability of the core. The broader lesson is that pursuing a high-profile addition can backfire if it disrupts team chemistry and fit with surrounding players.
The discussion around center depth and defensive presence has been a recurring theme for the Lakers during the LeBron era. Repeated attempts to bolster the center position with short-term fixes reflected ongoing questions about maximizing Davis’s versatility while ensuring credible interior defense. In the summer leading up to the discussed period, the team pursued enhancements to the frontcourt to provide better paint protection for James and Davis’s teammates.
The conversation also touched on the broader strategy of how teams balance star power against depth. Critics note that while star contracts reflect exceptional performance, they can inadvertently limit the ability to add complementary pieces who can contribute in meaningful ways across a full regular season and playoff run.
In summary, the debate between Kuzma and Davis underscored a persistent tension in the NBA: how to assemble a championship-caliber roster when a significant portion of the salary cap is tied up by a small number of high-paid stars. While star players are essential, teams also need a strong supporting cast and a coherent strategy for filling key roles. The Lakers’ postchampionship years illustrate how roster construction, fit, injuries, and midseason moves collectively influence a franchise’s trajectory.
