The Washington Wizards are in a precarious situation. After their ten-game losing streak, reports began to surface that Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma intends to decline his player option to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. It has yet again been a difficult year for the Wizards as they have failed to meet expectations for now the second year in a row.
The mantra that has been repeated throughout the front office for years now is that the Wizards will not tank. However, with such a budding player like Kuzma with one foot seemingly out the door and several generational prospects available in this year’s draft, the front office now faces a serious dilemma as to how they should approach the rest of this season.
Since being traded to Washington in the 2021 offseason for Russell Westbrook, Kuzma has posted career numbers and has emerged as a legitimate second option. He certainly deserves all-star consideration this season for averaging close to 22 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
However, it is unlikely that Kuzma will resign with the Wizards this summer as he will likely seek to join a contender. He is expected to make north of $20 million with his new contract. This means that Tommy Sheppard and the Wizards are on borrowed time. Sheppard is no stranger to trading players by the February trade deadline. Last season, he managed to trade Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans for Kristaps Porzingis in a move that has paid dividends for the Wizards. Even so, this will likely be a much tougher situation given Kuzma’s opt out clause in his contract.
Kuzma will certainly have plenty of suitors looking to trade for him at the deadline, so here are some trade scenarios the Wizards should consider.
The Washington Wizards should consider completing a trade for a star guard from Toronto.
The Washington Wizards manage to nab a star point guard in return for Kyle Kuzma. Fred VanVleet has had a rough start to this year, but his shooting ability is something the Wizards greatly need. If the intention of this franchise is to continue to build around Beal and Porzingis, then VanVleet certainly fulfills that desire. If the Wizards hope to remain in contention after Kuzma, then this trade gives them the best chance to do so.
The Wizards have not had much success at the point guard position since Westbrook was traded. VanVleet could change that as he provides very good three-point shooting at the guard spot and gives the Wizards the opportunity to play both him and Beal off-ball. With the addition of former Wizards forward Otto Porter, the spacing gets even better at the wing. The Wizards have lacked offensive creativity this season, perhaps VanVleet’s skillset and Porter’s spacing will provide some versatility on that end.
As for defense, VanVleet has been top 2 in the entire league in deflections over the past three years. His ability to strip the ball from bigger centers has been crucial to Toronto’s defensive approach. His defense has been critical to the Raptors team as these deflections kickstart the break and gives them easy looks. By adding Porter and VanVleet the Wizards are certainly getting quality pieces back that allow them to stay competitive in the east.
The Toronto Raptors have had no lack of success at the wing in recent years.
If you’ve been following the Toronto Raptors post-Kawhi trade, then you know they’ve been ahead of the curve when it comes to finding long, athletic wings that can shoot and defend. From Scottie Barnes to OG Anunoby, even Chris Boucher, this team is essentially a collection of 6’8 and 6’9 forwards.
Kyle Kuzma’s ability to self create is something the Raptors would absolutely welcome as their halfcourt offense has struggled mightily. They aren’t a guard heavy team anyways, so adding Kuzma is perfect for their roster’s construction.
A starting lineup of Barnes, Anunoby, Siakam, Kuzma, and Achiuwa has the potential to be one of the best defensive starting lineups in basketball with the ability to switch every ball screen and have no glaring weaknesses.
The Washington Wizards could also look at completing a trade with a divisional rival in the Heat.
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The Washington Wizards, in all honesty, should have started a rebuild years ago. This trade gives them assets to start the process. Given that the Heat are still looking to climb the standings in the Eastern Conference, the Wizards have the chance to select two lottery players in this absolutely loaded 2023 NBA draft if Miami is not able to improve.
In addition, the Wizards get very capable forwards that could play or be moved later on. Add Nikola Jovic into the mix, a center whom many executives are optimistic of his potential, and the Wizards have themselves a solid foundation for a potential rebuild.
If there’s one team in the East that hopes to remain competitive but is running out of time, it’s the Miami Heat. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last year and the NBA Finals back in 2020, they are starting to exit their window for contention.
Injuries have plagued them for the last two regular seasons; however, in the playoffs they’ve become overly reliant on Jimmy Butler to create for the rest of the team. Adebayo has not quite reached that second-option level offensively. Trading some depth for Kuzma could tip the scales in their favor.
In 41 games without Bradley Beal over the last two seasons, Kuzma is averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds on solid efficiency. In games without Kristaps Porzingis, those numbers look very similar, averaging 18 and 8 on even better efficiency.
Simply put, Kuzma has shown the ability to be a quality second or third option offensively and has played in championship situations that have required him to do so. The Heat need another player to take the load off Jimmy Butler come postseason, and Kuzma can certainly do it.
The Washington Wizards could look to move for veteran players and look to continue their plan to contend.
If the Washington Wizards for whatever reason choose not to extend Deni Avdija’s contract or resign Rui Hachimura this offseason, then Royce O’Neale can fill one of their roles on a friendly contract. Patty Mills has also been one of the league’s best shooters over the past decade. In his fourteen-year career, he has shot over 40% from three in half of them.
A 39% three point shooter for his career, Mills would be the best three point shooter on the team when accounting for volume. This is another opportunity for the Wizards to continue to increase their odds at landing generational prospect Victor Wembanyama and giving another go at a playoff run next season.
Since Jacque Vaughn took over as head coach, the Nets are 18-7, which is the best record in the NBA since November 1, the defense has improved by almost ten points per 100 possessions since he took over. The Nets have done this largely without the services of Patty Mills as he’s missed half the season due to injury.
It’s tempting for the Nets to pull the trigger on a trade like this simply because despite the clear improvements over the past month, they are still viewed as a step behind Milwaukee and Boston in the Eastern Conference.
Making a splash trade for Kyle Kuzma could be an attempt to salvage what has been of the Nets experiment with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. It’s uncertain if Irving will resign or if the Nets will even offer him a contract this summer, so if the Nets really want to make this season count, it may suit them to throw all their cards in on a Kuzma trade before it’s too late.
The Washington Wizards could also explore this multi team trade to land themselves some young sharpshooters.
Currently, the Washington Wizards have the fifth best odds at getting Victor Wembanyama. With Cam Johnson still being out with an injury, the Wizards would be able to put themselves in an even better position to secure the top spot in this year’s draft, all while having cap friendly contracts and very solid players in Johnson and Allen joining the team. Even if this is a “one-year rebuild,” very similar to the 2021 Golden State Warriors, then now is the perfect time for the Wizards to try it.
Looking at the standings in the Western Conference, no team has really separated themselves from the pack. As of Christmas morning, the difference between the first seed and the ninth seed in the West is only 3.5 games. The Suns are only 2 games out of the first seed in the conference. Keep in mind this is without the services of Jae Crowder and Cam Johnson (the two players they would be trading in this scenario) and Chris Paul playing poorly.
A starting lineup of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Kyle Kuzma, and Deandre Ayton has the potential to be elite. This is all while adding Wesley Matthews, who is no stranger to playing as a three-and-D role on a championship contender. The Suns are another team that cannot hesitate to pull the trigger on a trade like this especially as their current window of contention seems to be closing.
The Milwaukee Bucks get the wing shooter they’ve lacked this season. The Bucks are only shooting 35% from three as a team, which is around league average. Over the last two seasons, Jae Crowder is shooting 37% from three on almost six attempts per game, while being arguably a better defender than Allen and Matthews. Milwaukee doesn’t need much more to contend for a championship, so adding a stationary shooter who can defend is really all they need to stay atop the NBA.
Any of these trades should work for the Washington Wizards while also placing them in a prime position to win a championship at some point. Moving Kyle Kuzma seems to be an ideal option, and these are definitely trades where the Wizards can come out on top.