At 27 years old, forward Kyle Kuzma is in the midst of a career-best season for the Washington Wizards. He’s joined forces with Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis to form a formidable Big 3 in the nation’s capital.
So, why is Kuzma being bandied about as a potential trade target months before the in-season NBA trade deadline? According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, teams are attempting to pry Kuzma from the Wizards. In turn, there’s some internal concern that the forward will opt out of his contract and become a free agent this coming summer.
From Washington’s perspective, losing one of the core pieces it acquired in the Russell Westbrook trade for nothing would be a bitter pill to swallow.
In addition to his stellar play thus far this season, Kuzma is under a team-friendly contract. He’s making $13 million this season and has a player option for the same figure in 2023-24. There’s going to be a market for his services. Below, we look at four realistic trade scenarios to get Kuzma out of D.C.
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Kyle Kuzma heads to the Phoenix Suns
- Suns get: Kyle Kuzma
- Wizards get: Cameron Johnson, Jae Crowder, 1st-round pick
It’s an open question whether Phoenix wants to exhaust more financial capital to retain Johnson long-term. The forward is slated to become a restricted free agent following the 2022-23 season. He could be in line for a lucrative extension if the former lottery pick continues to play at a somewhat high level. With a ton of cash extended to Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges, it just doesn’t make too much sense.
Instead, Phoenix goes with a win now move to pair Kuzma up with Bridges and Ayton in the frontcourt. The team looks very much like a championship contender again this season.
From Washington’s perspective, it picks up a potential long-term building block in Johnson. The 26-year-old forward is currently sidelined to injury. But he was averaging 13.0 points on 43% shooting from distance before going down. Add in Jae Crowder, and the Wizards would be getting someone who can take up some of the minutes needed following this hypothetical Kuzma trade.
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Dallas Mavericks provide Luka Doncic with another “star”
- Mavericks get: Kyle Kuzma
- Wizards get: Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green
To be perfectly clear here, Finney-Smith is a favorite of the Mavericks’ brass and their fans. His ability to play defense both on the perimeter and in the low-post has made him a valuable asset for Dallas. With that said, we’re talking about someone who is very limited on offense. Finding another big-time scorer to go with Luka Doncic should be of priority for Dallas.
- Kyle Kuzma stats (2022-23): 20.6 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 46% shooting, 31% 3-point
The idea of teaming Kuzma up with Doncic and Christian Wood might be too hard for general manager Nico Harrison and Co. to pass up on. In return, Washington attempts to strengthen a defense that is yielding nearly 112 points per game. It also picks up a former first-round pick in Green who has upped his game big time as a third-year player in 2022-23.
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Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks swap stars
- Hawks get: Kyle Kuzma, Will Barton
- Wizards get: John Collins, Jalen Johnson
Perhaps, these two teams see their opposing forward as a better fit for what they want to do. We already now that Collins remains on the trade block and doesn’t necessarily have a long-term future in Atlanta. The team is building around guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. It is also high on rookie first-round pick AJ Griffin, who is playing at a high level this season.
Swapping out Collins for Kuzma while adding a Sixth Man option in Barton would make for a more well-rounded unit for the Hawks.
Washington’s involvement in this hypothetical trade is two-pronged. It takes a chance on a recent lottery pick in Johnson to see if the former Duke star can turn around his fledgling career. The Wizards also add a potential 20-point scorer in Collins who is under contract long-term. As noted above, one of the reasons Kuzma is being bandied about on the trade block is his status as a potential free agent next summer.
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Golden State Warriors “break up” young core with Kyle Kuzma trade
- Warriors get: Kyle Kuzma
- Wizards get: James Wiseman, Moses Moody, future 1st-round pick
At 11-11 on the season, the defending champion Warriors have been nothing more than mediocre. While they could be on the verge of turning this thing around, there’s too much young talent wasting away on the bench for a team that owes it to Stephen Curry to remain in championship contention.
The No. 2 overall pick back in 2020, Wiseman is currently in the G-League after struggling to make the Warriors’ regular rotation. He’s still only 21 years old and has a ton of untapped potential. In terms of upside, this might be the best Washington can do in a Kuzma trade. It also picks up a sharpshooter in Moody who has displayed flashes as well as a future first-round pick.
From Golden State’s perspective, Kuzma could slide in at the four with Draymond Green playing a small-ball five. He could also potentially come off the bench and become another option to go with Jordan Poole on the second unit. Providing this type of scoring behind Curry, Thompson and Poole might be a necessity if the Warriors want to have any chance of repeating as champs.