4 Teams that could steal Kyle Kuzma from the Wizards

1. Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks do not have the money to sign Kuzma as a free agent, but they have been linked to him ever since it became clear that he would likely decline his player option. If they really want to bring him on board, they will have to use a sign-and-trade.

In a way, it makes sense. The Mavericks need another scorer next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving who can also create for himself, and Kuzma is much better suited to be a third option than the primary offensive piece. Combining Doncic’s, Irving’s, and Kuzma’s scoring would make Dallas a scary offensive team.

No matter how well they can score, the Mavericks desperately need to get better on defense. They ranked towards the bottom of the league in defensive rating last season and Kuzma could add some toughness on that end. His defense is somewhat underrated but in Washington, he often matched up with stars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and DeMar DeRozan. Considering how much the Mavericks struggled defensively, that might not be enough to fix their biggest issues and Kuzma would probably have to be a part of a bigger project to add supporting players around their two stars.