Washington Wizards: 5 players who could replace Kyle Kuzma at the trade deadline

Dereck Lively II would fit the Washington Wizards seamlessly

After trading down for the 12th pick in the draft to select Dereck Lively II and also to dump that horrible Davis Bertans contract (shout out Tommy Sheppard) He could be used in a trade to bring in a third star next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Livey was one of the biggest risers in the draft along with Wizards’ rookie Bilal Coulibaly. This was due to some incredibly strong workouts where he showed insane dunking ability and even had his jump shot falling in a few.

However, his calling card has always been defense. He is likely going to be one of the top defenders of his class along with Anthony Black, Cason Wallace, Victor Wembanyama, and the previously mentioned Bilal Coulibaly.

While at Duke, Lively averaged 5.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game. His stat line only reiterates my previous point of being a defensive player first and foremost. Even more interesting is the fact that he shot 72.1 percent from inside the three-point arc on his 3.1 attempts per game.

He rebounded 15.2 percent of all available rebounds and more impressively blocked 12.7 percent of all two-point attempts made by the opposing team while he was on the floor. It is clear that he has potential to be a top rim protector in the league.

Trading Kyle Kuzma for a package involving the 19-year-old and other assets could prove to be highly beneficial to the new look Washington Wizards.