Wizards come away with elite big pairing in latest trade idea

The Washington Wizards are not a team that likes to tank. The mandate for their front office is always to push for wins and try to stay afloat at the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Some teams would rather bottom out and try to build a true contender, but the Wizards are content just competing.

That’s why this team is unlikely to see the writing on the wall and try to chase lottery odds. With Kyle Kuzma having a breakout season in the last season of his deal, the logical move for a team not in contention would be to move him for assets now. The Wizards have instead indicated that they want to both keep Kuzma and pursue a fourth star to join him, which seems like a goal much too lofty to reach.

The Washington Wizards don’t want to trade Kyle Kuzma for future assets.

The path the Wizards could instead pursue is trading Kuzma for that star, keeping the Wizards afloat with three tentpole scorers and building around them. It mitigates the (extremely high) risk that Kuzma will walk in free agency this summer, and it helps the Wizards stay competitive this season and beyond.

There are a few different low-tier stars who could be available on the trade market, and one in particular plays for a team that needs an upgrade on perimeter creation and could use some overall depth as well. Is there a deal to be made between the Phoenix Suns and Washington Wizards that would send Kuzma to the desert and land Deandre Ayton in the nation’s capital?