As we head into the NBA trade season starting on December 15th and going until we hit the deadline on February ninth, there have been plenty of trade rumors bubbling up. Most notably for the Washington Wizards is Kyle Kuzma, one of the best players on the roster ahead of his first free agency.
Kuzma is expected to ask much more than what the Wizards are valuing him at, making him a liability for the rest of the season, so it makes sense to move him.
The 27-year-old NBA Champion is in the midst of the best season of his career, putting up career highs in multiple different categories and matching others as well. He is doing all of this on pretty solid efficiency as well, although there is still room for improvement.
He is averaging 20.6 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game, and 3.5 assists per game this season as he continues to be great next to Kristaps Porzingis. He may just have a shot at an All-Star appearance if the Wizards can start putting together some winning streaks before voting starts.
Still, he is expected to ask, and possibly receive, a contract similar to other stars who are just on a different level than he is. Moving the experienced forward for draft capital and young building blocks is probably the best decision for the Wizards looking forward.
There have been numerous rumors floating around involving about half of the Wizards roster for years. Of course, this year can’t be any different, so the Wizards are used to handling the trade market at this point.
The most notable rumors as of right now are the Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix Suns, and the New York Knicks who are rumored to be offering their own star players, but there are other potential landing places as well.
Let’s look at the top five potential landing places for Kyle Kuzma and rate them based on how well they work for the Washington Wizards.
The Cleveland Cavaliers may look to round out their starting five by completing a trade with the Washington Wizards.
The Cleveland Cavaliers already have four All-Star caliber players in their starting five and could look to round it out by adding another to the mix. Kyle Kuzma is the perfect fit due to his ability to play both sides of the ball.
However, their ability to return high quality players and high draft capital is limited because they are likely not moving any of their big four, and the team is so young that it’s easy to see them being a great team for a long time.
It’s likely that the return for the Washington Wizards would include Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Lamar Stevens and a handful of picks. This would weigh heavier on the cap for the Wizards but allow them to have more flexibility going forward. This type of trade would also have to include Will Barton.
While this seems short sided by the Cavaliers, it could just be a short term move to win a championship and try to lure home the Kid from Akron. It could be similar to what they pulled back in 2014 by trading now All-Star Andrew Wiggins for then All-NBA Kevin Love.
In terms of return for the Washington Wizards this one gets a B-.
They gain multiple picks and a few solid young players in return for a player who will likely not stick around long term. However, there is no foundational building blocks here like there are in other trades.
The New York Knicks could begin building around Jalen Brunson by moving for Kyle Kuzma.
The New York Knicks have been one of the teams most prominently displayed in rumors for the Wizards forward. They have even been rumored to offer Julius Randle.
However, it’s likely that the Washington Wizards would also want Immanuel Quickley in this deal due to Randles age and the complete and udder lack of starting caliber point guards on the Wizards roster.
This would be a big move for the Wizards, and it would clarify both teams’ intentions going forward, The Knicks trying to win with Jalen Brunson and the Wizards trying to build around Beal.
This trade would also include players like Will Barton or Rui Hachimura, who some speculate may be traded anyway, in order to make the money work. Including both Barton and Hachimura could allow the Wizards to pull off a steal by gaining Cam Reddish.
Reddish has a lot of potential still, despite not fitting in any system he has seen since high school. He has all the tools to be great, maybe Washington is where he will thrive?
In a trade including Cam Reddish, this trade gets an A-, but without the upside of the young wing it falls to a B+.
While the Wizards will likely get Julius Randle, an MVP candidate when paired with a guard who can handle the ball, they also lock themselves into the Beal, Randle, Porzingis trio for a long time and devote a lot of money to them. If this experiment doesn’t pan out, without Reddish there is no high ceiling young assets coming into Washington.
The Phoenix Suns may try to regain their 2021 magic with an all-in trade for Kuzma.
Let’s be honest, Chris Paul hasn’t been great, at 37 years old, he is having the worst season of his career and is still on a big contract for a few more years. The championship window for this rendition of the Phoenix Suns is becoming limited.
They could put all their chips on the table this season by trading picks and Jae Crowder along with another small contract to try and win the championship this season. They will not be able to resign Kuzma at a higher price with three max deals on their payroll already.
This trade will be heavily based on picks and may require a third team to send a young player to the Wizards in order to get it done. The Golden State Warriors may be a good suitor for that extra spot featuring James Wiseman or Moses Moody.
This trade seems desperate from Phoenix, although they might be as Paul ages and Deandre Ayton facing issues with various members of the team staff. Still doesn’t seem likely.
Without another team getting involved, this trade probably isn’t any better than a C-.
The Washington Wizards would be relying on the picks gained in this trade. Only issue is the fact that Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are both still young. Not to mention players like Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges filling in the roster. The value gained in this trade seems very limited.
The Golden State Warriors have started off slowly and may make some sacrifices to win another championship.
The Golden State Warriors have disappointed to start the season and it doesn’t look like that will change any time soon. They may be looking to make some moves to bolster their depth to try and regain last season’s magic.
The Wizards could send them Kyle Kuzma’s expiring deal in exchange for James Wiseman and Ryan Rollins rookie contracts. Most fans of the Warriors want Wiseman gone anyway and Kuzma fits in that Otto Porter Jr role they are looking to fill. Shout out to the former Wizard, now NBA Champion!
This trade would get the Wizards some building blocks for a potential rebuild and set the stage for finding a new home for Bradley Beal, who some argue should also be traded. This would give them a head start to this potential rebuild as Wiseman still has tremendous upside and may not fully develop in Golden State.
Rollins is also a nice piece as he could be a really good backup point guard someday once the Wizards get a team put together. This could be a step in the right direction for sure.
This trade could be an A if the Wizards fully commit to the rebuild after completing the trade.
This would mean sitting Beal until a trade is found where everybody is happy or just playing lineups that do not work together until the end of the season as an effort to draft Scoot Henderson or a high-quality wing to go with Wiseman.
The Atlanta Hawks could move disgruntled star John Collins for Kyle Kuzma.
The Washington Wizards could decide to agree to a deal with the Hawks as there is mutual interest amongst the teams and the deal was seriously discussed in the offseason, although nothing materialized.
John Collis has been the focal point of the Hawks offers and while the Wizards are interested, the money side of it is a bit complicated and might make the deal fall through. The deal would almost have to include both Will Barton and Kyle Kuzma, which would push the Hawks over the limit so they would probably need to add another player.
That other player seems likely to be Onyeka Okongwu. He is a 22-year-old center with a lot of defensive talent and some upside on offense. Trading for this duo could set them up for a strong rebuild as well.
Once again, this seems like a trade that would need to lead into multiple other trades including Kristaps Porzingis or Bradley Beal. One that would lead into a full on rebuild. Once again, hoping for Scoot Henderson.
This trade seems to be the one most in favor of the Washington Wizards, earning it an A grading.
John Collins and Onyeka Okongwu are both players who seem to be misused in the Hawks system and could be much better on a team that lets them play to their strengths. Trading two potential short-term players for essential building blocks for a rebuild seems like a steal.
If the Washington Wizards pull off one of these trades, they are almost guaranteed to get decent value in return for Kyle Kuzma. There are of course plenty of other options, like Kevin Durant or Patrick Beverley, but these five seemed like the most likely options with high returns for the Wizards.