Kyle Kuzma, Evaluating potential trade destinations

 

It was primarily fine last month. Through the games played on Nov. 27, the Washington Wizards find themselves at .500 (10-10). Back up a week, & a shiny 10-7 record, including six wins in seven games, stares back at you. Behind a surprisingly stout defense (6th in defensive rating through Nov. 20), the Wizards are chasing wins and hoping to put together their 1st winning season since the 2017-2018 campaign (43-39).

 

It’s safe to say that won’t happen today. The defense has fallen off the cliff. They’ve posted a 117.8 DRTG (No. 27) this year since November 21 and 24th, and the offense never came together. Having Bradley Beal & Kristaps Porzingis in and out of the lineup certainly didn’t help matters on either end of the floor.

 

Since the slide has come so quickly & aggressively, it’s fair to expect moves to be made before the February trade deadline. According to Substack’s Marc Stein, the Wizards have already attempted to acquire Suns forward Jae Crowder in exchange for a package led by fourth-year forward Rui Hachimura, which the Suns reportedly rejected.

 

But if anyone is going to watch out, it’s Kyle Kuzma. He’s been the metronome for this Washington Wizards group, averaging a career-high 21.8 pts per game on 56.4 percent True Shooting while playing in all but one game this season. It was an impressive sequel to last season’s campaign (17.1 pts, 8.5 rebounds, & 3.5 assists), where he established himself as 1 of the best young 2-way forwards in basketball. It’s also a timely climb for Kuzma.

 

 

He is in the final guaranteed year of the three-year, 40 million dollar extension he signed in 2020; he had a 13 million dollar player option for next season.

 

But short of an accounting error or an attack on the power grid, there was no way he could have declined it and hit the market. At that point, Kuzma announced his intention to opt-out of a new deal.

 

On Monday, some sources reported that league executives feel Kuzma will be “obtainable” before the trade deadline.

 

Considering Kuzma’s impending free agency and apparent (if not evident) desire to hit a big(ger) market next season, it’s hard to argue toward moving Kuzma before the deadline approaches. There’s always room for a sign-and-trade in the offseason.

 

Though, I wonder if the Wizards should be putting themselves up against a hard cap. (They shouldn’t.) Let’s look at Kuzma’s season and who would benefit more by bringing him in.

 

Kyle Kuzma, Evaluating potential trade destinations

 

It was primarily fine last month. Through the games played on Nov. 27, the Washington Wizards find themselves at .500 (10-10). Back up a week, & a shiny 10-7 record, including six wins in seven games, stares back at you. Behind a surprisingly stout defense (6th in defensive rating through Nov. 20), the Wizards are chasing wins and hoping to put together their 1st winning season since the 2017-2018 campaign (43-39).

 

It’s safe to say that won’t happen today. The defense has fallen off the cliff. They’ve posted a 117.8 DRTG (No. 27) this year since November 21 and 24th, and the offense never came together. Having Bradley Beal & Kristaps Porzingis in and out of the lineup certainly didn’t help matters on either end of the floor.

 

Since the slide has come so quickly & aggressively, it’s fair to expect moves to be made before the February trade deadline. According to Substack’s Marc Stein, the Wizards have already attempted to acquire Suns forward Jae Crowder in exchange for a package led by fourth-year forward Rui Hachimura, which the Suns reportedly rejected.

 

But if anyone is going to watch out, it’s Kyle Kuzma. He’s been the metronome for this Washington Wizards group, averaging a career-high 21.8 pts per game on 56.4 percent True Shooting while playing in all but one game this season. It was an impressive sequel to last season’s campaign (17.1 pts, 8.5 rebounds, & 3.5 assists), where he established himself as 1 of the best young 2-way forwards in basketball. It’s also a timely climb for Kuzma.

 

 

He is in the final guaranteed year of the three-year, 40 million dollar extension he signed in 2020; he had a 13 million dollar player option for next season.

 

But short of an accounting error or an attack on the power grid, there was no way he could have declined it and hit the market. At that point, Kuzma announced his intention to opt-out of a new deal.

 

On Monday, some sources reported that league executives feel Kuzma will be “obtainable” before the trade deadline.

 

Considering Kuzma’s impending free agency and apparent (if not evident) desire to hit a big(ger) market next season, it’s hard to argue toward moving Kuzma before the deadline approaches. There’s always room for a sign-and-trade in the offseason.

 

Though, I wonder if the Wizards should be putting themselves up against a hard cap. (They shouldn’t.) Let’s look at Kuzma’s season and who would benefit more by bringing him in.