Through 19 games, the LA Clippers have slowly been proving everyone wrong. After an entire July, August and September where every talking head suggested the Clippers were done because they had no more Paul George, expectations from the national media were largely low for Los Angeles.
Add in the fact that Kawhi Leonard has been forced to the sideline for every game of the season so far, and most would have told you the Clippers would be a bottom-dweller in the standings right now. But in reality, it has been quite the opposite. LA has come together and bought into Ty Lue's system, winning with strong defense and showing everyone why it is far from the time to overlook this team.
In spite of the team's unexpected success, it would be wise to recognize that this level of success may or may not continue on this same trajectory for the entire 82-game season. The Clippers will still need Leonard back at some point to truly reach their ceiling, and looking around the league for one more contributor they can add via trade could be smart as well.
If LA's front office is scouring the league for available players, one guy they may want to look at is Kyle Kuzma. Greg Swartz recently suggested Kuzma as a top potential target for the Clippers on Bleacher Report, and he hit the nail on the head.
Kuzma would boost the Clippers' offensive output
The fact of the matter is, the Clippers' defense is phenomenal. But they could certainly use one more legitimate offensive option to help keep them afloat, especially if Norman Powell's hamstring issues persist.
Kyle's shooting splits are down a bit to begin this season, but last year in Washington was one of the best individual seasons of his career. He put up 22.2 points and 4.2 assists while operating as the Wizards' top scoring option. His well-rounded offensive game shined in a way that made league executives take notice, and he has been seen as a potential trade piece for some time now with Washington still lingering around the bottom of the standings.
Defensively, Kuzma has his flaws, but the consistent effort he plays with would theoretically lend him to being successful in the Clippers' by-committee system. No matter who went to the bench unit in this hypothetical situation, adding Kuzma to LA's starting lineup would give them another capable scorer that can get his own shot while being a plus on the defensive end most nights as well.
There has been no word on if the Wizards are actively looking to trade Kuzma or not. But if a reasonable offer for him were on the table, the Clippers' front office would likely want to look it over.