There are important decisions waiting for the Washington Wizards front office and its two stars Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma. Both players have player options for next season and the deadline to make a decision is only two weeks away. It is still a mystery whether the Washington Wizards are going into full roster teardown mode immediately or if they are planning to keep their core together to start the season. If the new front office indeed decides to start the rebuild this offseason, one possibility might be to sign & trade Kyle Kuzma.
Kuzma’s player option is for $13 million next year. It is a near-certainty that he will decline that option. He will likely require a multi-year deal worth over $20 million annually. Kuzma is a valuable two-way player but he is more of a luxury on a rebuilding team.
Kuzma’s skillset is a fantastic fit for a lot of contending teams. There simply aren’t too many 6’9 forwards who can create their own shots, score, and defend at a reasonable level. Starter-caliber wings in their prime like Kuzma don’t come on the market very often.
There should be a big market for Kuzma this offseason. The free agent market is especially weak this summer. Teams that want to take the next step in contention will have to resort to the trade market. And there will almost certainly be teams that believe Kuzma is the missing piece.
The Washington Wizards need to take advantage of this situation and field calls on Kuzma. Let’s look at some teams who could potentially be interested.
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings were one of the biggest surprise stories of last season. Defying all expectations, they were the 3rd seed in the Western Conference, ending their sixteen-year playoff drought.
Now, they are hungry to build upon last year’s success.
Their biggest weaknesses are size and solid 3-and-D wings. Kuzma helps in both areas. Their starting power forward Harrison Barnes is 31 years old with an expiring contract. It’s not clear whether they will be able to retain him.
Kuzma is not only a replacement for Barnes, he is an upgrade in the long run. He can defend opposing wings, play off-ball in Fox-Sabonis two-man actions, and be a secondary playmaker when one of them sits.
In return, the Wizards get Davion Mitchell, the 24-year-old lockdown defender, and Richaun Holmes, an overpaid but productive center. Mitchell is already one of the best point guard defenders in the league and has the potential to be more. Holmes has seen a decrease in his value and production over the past two years but would have an opportunity to revive his career in Washington.
Perhaps the most important part of any Kuzma trade will be the draft picks. The Wizards need to gather as many future assets (young players and draft picks) as they can throughout the rebuild. In this one, a 2026-protected first-round pick seems like fair value.
Los Angeles Lakers
Another Western Conference playoff team who should presumably be interested in Kuzma’s services is the team that drafted him: The Los Angeles Lakers.
Kuzma is already a beloved figure in Los Angeles and won a championship ring with the franchise in 2020. He is a wonderful fit for what the Lakers need this offseason.
The conference finalists Lakers got swept by the Denver Nuggets because they weren’t able to score enough to keep up with Denver’s high-powered offense. They were lacking in shot-creators and shot-makers. Kuzma could help alleviate those issues.
In return, the Wizards receive Jarred Vanderbilt, who is on a very team-friendly contract, paying him only $4.6 million for next season. He is also a very solid defensive player who should continue to improve. He is only 24 years old and can be a long-term piece for the Wizards.
Mo Bamba is an expiring contract that helps match salaries in this deal. Washington can still take a look at him to see if he can be a contributor in the long run.
Most importantly, the Wizards can get a 2029 1st round pick from the Lakers. Depending on the protections negotiated in the deal, this could be a juicy pick considering Lebron James and Anthony Davis will likely have retired.
Dallas Mavericks
Kyle Kuzma is probably overstretched as a team’s primary shot creator and scorer. His ideal role is a team’s third scoring option. That’s exactly would be the case with the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas desperately needs a third option next to their star duo Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They are also short on physical wings who can defend the best offensive weapons in the league. Kuzma fits both roles.
Playing next to players like Irving and Doncic will provide Kuzma with a lot of open looks. He will almost always be guarded by a weak defender since the best defenders will be on Doncic and Irving. Kuzma can light it up for Dallas.
There is a lot of pressure on the Mavericks to take a massive step forward next year after failing to make the playoffs last season. Acquiring a big name like Kuzma will provide the jolt needed for the fans and a reason to keep Doncic and Irving happy. The Mavericks will almost certainly be active this offseason and they could easily talk themselves into thinking that a high-level role player like Kuzma is the missing piece to their core.
The Wizards get the expiring contract of Reggie Bullock. They could either keep him to provide veteran leadership and spacing. They also receive Josh Green, a promising two-way shooting guard. Only 22 years old, Green could be a valuable piece for Washington going forward.
Depending on how much each team values Josh Green, the protections on the Dallas first-round pick can be negotiated.
Utah Jazz
Just like going back to the Lakers, this would be another return home for Kyle Kuzma, who spent three years at the University of Utah and won first-team All-Pac-12 honors as a junior.
The Utah Jazz have a surplus of draft picks following the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades last summer. They might presumably want to use a few to build their core and take a step forward next season.
They also probably don’t want to overpay for an aging player. Ideally, they would acquire players who could be a part of their core going forward. That’s why Kuzma is a great fit for the Jazz.
Kuzma, 27, is on the same timeline as their All-Star Lauri Markkanen who is 26 years old. The Kuzma-Markkanen duo as your starting forwards is a good place to start in your rebuild.
For the Wizards, the main appeal in a deal with Utah would be their slew of draft picks. The Wizards could get an unprotected or a lightly-protected first-round pick from the Jazz. Potentially, a deal that nets Washington the highest of the three draft picks the Jazz owns in 2025 should be enough for Kuzma.
To match the salaries, the Wizards would receive the expiring contracts of Kelly Olynyk and Simone Fontecchio. Olynyk could be a useful piece providing spacing and playmaking from the center position. Fontecchio is worth a flyer as a potential 3-and-D option going forward. The Wizards would have the option to re-sign these players next summer if they contribute during the season.
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