The Washington Wizards currently sit in 9th place within the Eastern Conference with an 11-11 record after a hot start to the season. This is due to better play from its players with the most notable being forward Kyle Kuzma.
Due to his performances, teams around the league have taken notice. According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, various teams are trying to steal Kuzma from Washington due to his great contact and level of play.
The 27-year-old forward is averaging 20.6 points while shooting 45.9% from the field in 34.7 minutes per game. Both of those statistics are sitting at career highs for Kuzma this season.
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Washington Wizards’ forward Kyle Kuzma receiving interest, evaluating potential landing spots
Kuzma has definitely taken another step in his career as he is currently above the 20-points-per-game mark for the first time. This is notable as both Bradley Beal and Kristpas Porzinigs are also above him.
The three players have created an electric connection on the court that has finally started to translate into success. As stated above, other teams in the NBA have started to take note of said success.
This is what Windhorst had to say on his podcast about the interest in Kuzma around the league.
“Kyle Kuzma has been red-hot. And I’ve heard some rumors, and I’ve talked to some executives about some teams saying, ‘Yeah, they’re trying to get Kuzma out of Washington. Various teams are trying to trade for Kuzma.’ I’m like, ‘Why? Why would (the Washington Wizards) trade him?’ Kuzma is on a great contract, and he’s producing at a very high level. Now look, he kind of ebbs and flows, but we know he’s got the ability to defend. He doesn’t always do it, but we know he’s got the ability to do it.”
Brian Windhorst on the interest of Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma
Along with Kuzma’s performance on the court, his contract is also another factor that makes him very popular with other teams. The 27-year-old has a cap hit of $13 million with a player option for the 2023-’24 season
As of now, it seems pretty unlikely that Kuzma would accept it as his value is definitely higher than $13 million per season. The Wizards have some options which include keeping him long-term or maximizing his value.
If Washington decides to trade Kuzma, teams like the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks make sense. In fact, Phoenix has expressed interest in Kuzma with Jae Crowder on the market.
Perhaps, the Suns could try to package Crowder in a deal for Kuzma. The organization would need to give up more than Crowder as the potential All-Star player from Washington has a higher value.
The Heat have been struggling with injuries to start the season and Kuzma would be an ideal fit next to Bam Adebayo in the frontcourt. If not either team, the Knicks could try to steal Kuzma to build toward a future of long-term success.
There will likely be other teams on the phone with Washington but these three teams make a lot of sense. Kuzma is going to be a hot commodity as the trade deadline approaches in February.
It will be interesting to see how the situation in Washington evolves moving forward as Kuzma continues to prove his worth as a possible All-Star level player this season.