Not surprisingly, Kyle Kuzma declined his $13 million player option and is now a free agent. He is coming off a career year with the Wizards and a return to Washington on a new long-term deal is not impossible. Kuzma, Jordan Poole, and Tyus Jones could form an interesting young combination, but chances are that Kuzma will want to try something new and see who can offer him the best contract.
As one of the more attractive fee agents available this summer, Kuzma will have many suitors. So, let’s look at four teams that could steal him from the Wizards.
4. Indiana Pacers
When everyone was healthy last season, the Pacers looked like a promising team. The group around Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield, and Miles Turner has plenty of talent and with the right addition, they could easily take a big step forward. Kuzma would be an interesting option for that.
He could help out Haliburton as a high-level scorer and take some weight off of the young point guard’s shoulders. Last season, Haliburton was the only Pacer to average more than 20 points per game, closely followed by Turner with 18 points and Hield with 16.8. Adding Kuzma, who averaged 21.2 points last season, could catapult their offense to the next level. Kuzma is not a great three-point shooter but the Pacers have plenty of firepower from long-range so that would not be much of a problem, and he would have the freedom to operate inside the arc.
Furthermore, Kuzma’s rebounding would be a valuable addition. He averaged 7.2 rebounds last season, which is more than every Pacer other than Turner. Age- and money-wise, Kuzma would be a solid fit as well. He is just about to turn 28 in July but already has some championship experience to add to a young core. Fortunately, the Pacers have plenty of cap space and are in a great position for free agency. They also know that Indiana is not a free-agent destination so they could very well be willing to outbid other suitors to upgrade their roster.