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The Los Angeles Lakers notched a 124-117 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, thanks to strong performances by LeBron James (35 points, five rebounds, five assists) and Anthony Davis (34, 15 and seven).

L.A. has now won six of its last 10, and while the Lakers are just 11-15, making a playoff push doesn't seem as outlandish as it did early in the season.

The Lakers' recent change of fortunes could prompt general manager Rob Pelinka to make a win-now trade ahead of February's deadline. There's a chance that a deal could involve a familiar face.

According to Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus, Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma could end up on the trade block—and the Lakers could be logical suitors.

"He wants out," an NBA source told Pincus. "He's looking for over $20 million a season and in a big market [or with a contender]."

As Pincus noted, Washington must at least consider moving Kuzma rather than risk losing him as a free agent in the offseason. Kuzma has a player option for the 2023-24 season that would pay him $13 million—substantially less than what he is reportedly seeking.

Pincus also speculated that Los Angeles could be in on Kuzma if he becomes available.

"Another team to monitor would be the Lakers, knowing Kuzma has championship experience playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis," Pincus wrote. "Giving up a first to both part and reunite with Kuzma would fit the Lakers' track record."

Should the Lakers be interested in reacquiring Kuzma less than two years after sending him to Washington in the Russell Westbrook trade? Probably not.

At first blush, adding Kuzma seems like a great option. He has become a star in Washington and is averaging 21.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists this season. He's also shooting a career-best 46.2 percent from the floor.

Kuzma is a capable range shooter—he's shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc this season—and theoretically could help provide offensive spacing around James and Davis that Los Angeles could use.

However, the Lakers wouldn't be getting this version of Kuzma. They'd be getting the same role player Kuzma was when he last played in L.A.

When James and Davis were both healthy in the 2019-20 season, Kuzma started just nine games. He averaged 25.0 minutes but just 12.8 points. As Kuzma recently noted, his play style made it difficult for him to be on the floor with James and Davis regularly.

"Here, I'm not playing behind LeBron and AD. Those guys are my position, my type of player, who I am, my style," the 6'9" forward told The Athletic's Shams Charania. "So coming here, I don't have that anymore."

Kuzma's impact would most likely be as a quality sixth man. L.A. already has that in Westbrook, who is averaging 14.4 points, 7.6 assists and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 40.5 percent from the floor.

Having both Kuzma and Westbrook on the roster wouldn't make a ton of sense, and Los Angeles isn't going to convince Washington to take back Westbrook.

The other factor to consider here is Kuzma's future. If he wants to remain a starter and is looking for $20 million-plus annually, it won't be with L.A. Hypothetically, the Lakers would be giving up a future first-round pick for the short-term rental of a bench player.

And this is assuming a first-round pick would be enough to net Kuzma. According to Pincus, the Kuzma is "believed" to be on the Sacramento Kings' radar. Having two (or perhaps more) interested teams could drive up Washington's asking price significantly.

If the Lakers are looking to make a trade to win now, they have other options worth pursuing instead of Kuzma. According to Pincus, the Lakers are interested in acquiring DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević from the Chicago Bulls.

While L.A. would lose Westbrook in this scenario, it would add a versatile player in DeRozan and a true center in Vučević who could help take some of the physical pressure off Davis. DeRozan can play either forward or guard and could replace the struggling Patrick Beverley in the starting lineup.

What sort of deal the Lakers pursue before the deadline will hinge heavily on how they fare over the next few weeks. However things unfold, Kuzma isn't the right trade target for L.A.

If the Lakers continue trending upward and hope to win now, Kuzma won't make them a title contender. If they're looking to next season, Kuzma is highly unlikely to be a long-term building block.

The idea of reuniting James, Davis and Kuzma is intriguing, but given the likely cost and benefits, it's not a deal Los Angeles should force.

The New York Yankees entered the offseason with one goal in mind beyond re-signing Aaron Judge and keeping him in pinstripes forever: bolster a bullpen that was obliterated by the Houston Astros in the ALCS.

They appear poised to do that in the form of an offer to San Francisco Giants lefty Carlos Rodón, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post.

It would mark the second time the Yankees have been in a battle with the Giants over a free agent, the first being the aforementioned Judge. Is it worth getting into a front-office battle with the across-country team over a lefty with just two distinct pitches?

The short answer: is yes, but the Yankees should know that Rodón is not the solution to the problem.

Pitching Depth, Injury History

The Yankees bullpen gave up a combined ERA of 3.97 per game, 30 hits and 18 runs, 15 of which were earned. Yankees pitchers were roughed up by Houston's offense en route to a nine-run differential across the four-game series.

Rodon had a very good 2022, going 14-8 with a 2.88 ERA while striking out 237 hitters and establishing a 1.03 WHIP. All while leaning on the fastball and slider, proving variance in pitching is not necessary if you can do two things very well.

In a marketplace set by the monstrous deals for Justin Verlander and Jacob deGrom, he is going to do very well financially, perhaps even with the Yankees. But it will not be the solution to New York's problems.

The team ranked fourth in innings pitch in 2022, according to MLB.com, with 79.2. Gerritt Cole (200.2), Nestor Cortes (158.1) and Jameson Taillon (177.1) were well north of 150 innings themselves.

Rodón is already 30 years old and has an injury history. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and even before that, had a history of arm fatigue earlier in his career. As late as 2021, there were very real questions about his future in the Majors.

Add that to an already exhausted bullpen with an innings and strikeouts deficiency to boot, and a $30 million AAV and there is reason to be cautious on the Yankees part. Especially considering they rank second in overall payroll and will be subject to a Competitive Balance Tax.

There are other pitchers, such as Chris Bassitt, Nathan Eovaldi and Noah Syndergaard, available who could be acquired to do the same thing for a more sensible financial burden. Bassitt turned down a $19 million option to remain with the Mets, but the Yankees would be able to acquire him for far less than the AAV Rodón is expected to demand.

Ditto Syndergaard, who can likely be acquired on a shorter, more cost prohibitive deal if his 2022 deal with the Angels is any indication.

The Yankees are not so far into the offseason and free agency that it cannot acquire multiple pieces to help strengthen its rotation rather than riskily overspending for Rodón without a guarantee of a World Series berth.

This is one instance where playing the waiting game and not jumping at the first big-name free agent at a position of need should benefit the Yankees in the long run.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

Von Wagner, Cameron Grimes Potential NXT Call Ups

With the WWE draft pushed back to an uncertain date, there have not been many NXT callups during the Triple H regime.

That's apparently about to change.

Fightful Select reported Cameron Grimes and Von Wagner have been mentioned among the prominent names who could soon arrive on the WWE main roster.

Grimes has not wrestled on NXT in over a month and made his Main Event debut in a win over Akira Tozawa in October. He's largely been in stasis since losing his NXT championship match to Bron Breakker at July's Great American Bash event. A move to the main roster would arguably be a much-needed refresh for the character.

Wagner has been a far more regularly featured player on NXT in recent months, losing in an Iron Survivor Challenge qualifying match to Axiom last week ahead of Deadline. While he's considered far greener than Grimes and hasn't developed a consistent character, that could be par for the course moving forward.

"We're told that there will be a more slow and steady flow of NXT talent brought up to the main roster moving forward, and to expect less years-long evaluation periods in NXT," the Fightful report read.

Ric Flair Confirms Heat With Seth Rollins

To the surprise of no one, Ric Flair has found an issue with a current-era star. Flair, who regularly uses his podcast as a pulpit to engage in grudges (that are often dropped soon after), acknowledged heat exists between him and Seth Rollins during an appearance on SiriusXM's Busted Open.

"Seth Rollins is a damn good worker," Flair said. "He's mad at me because I've been up and down with his wife, but I don't care. He's good, but he ain't me. I got no problem saying that. He walked right by at an autograph session, and I thought, 'You gotta be kidding me, because of you and Becky and this 'Man' trademark, you're gonna ignore me, pal? Wow.'"

Flair has called out Becky Lynch, Rollins' wife, for her use of "The Man" moniker, which The Nature Boy claimed was a trademark violation. (It is not. WWE owns The Man trademark.)

Flair did not seem particularly angry about the falling out, saying he understands Rollins siding with his spouse.

"I looked over at The Undertaker and I said, 'I guess I'm in a timeout.' Everybody should take their wife's side in any debate there is," Flair said. "You're gonna take their side and I understand that as long as it's come and gone, but that was a sensitive point for me."

Ronda Rousey Wants Tag Title Reign

It does not appear Ronda Rousey is satisfied with just being SmackDown women's champion.

During a live stream on her YouTube channel, Rousey said she would like to have a tag title run in the future.

"Yes I'm happy just to have a tag title. I don't need a singles title," Rousey said. "A tag run would be fun. I mean, both is cool. I've been doing singles for so long, I'm ready to change it up. That's another thing, too, people forget I only have a year-and-a-half of in-ring experience."

Rousey has been aligned with longtime friend Shayna Baszler on television in recent weeks, and they would make a natural team to push in the tag division. Moving to tags for a temporary period might also help Rousey get better in the ring and take some of the constant focus off of her in the women's division.

Rousey's second run in WWE has not been beloved by all fans due to her shaky promo skills and clear greenness in the ring, but she remains one of the company's biggest draws. Using her to elevate the women's tag titles isn't a bad idea.

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