Offseason Report Card: Wizards get three As, three Bs, C and D for summer moves

4, Re-signed Kyle Kuzma

Signed Kyle Kuzma to 4-year contract worth up to $102 million

After moving on from Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, the Wizards had one other core player to handle. Kyle Kuzma had a breakout season last year, scoring 21.2 points per game and coming into his own as an on-ball scoring threat. No one would have been surprised to see Kuzma sign elsewhere to either compete for a title or live in a more culturally important city than Washington D.C.

Yet the Wizards had the ability to offer him the most money and had cleared out enough to keep Kuzma and still bottom out this season. Kuzma elected to get paid by the Wizards now, and will likely be traded either this season or next summer. Get paid now, land in a new situation down the line but with a lofty stack of cash to make it worth it.

That was Kuzma’s reasoning; why did the Wizards sign him? They likely view his deal as positive value and a contract they can move in a deal for value. Re-signing Kuzma retains the asset, if you will, and allows them to keep a player who has developed on their watch. He’ll have plenty of shots to take this year, hopefully further boosting his value for another team to trade for.

Working out a sign-and-trade this summer to get future value would have been ideal, as there is a possibility the Wizards are unable to move him for meaningful value, either because his play drops off or he is injured, but it’s a gamble worth making.

Grade: B