The Washington Wizards opted to bring back veteran forward Kyle Kuzma despite the team entering the rebuilding stage for the forseeable future.
There has been rumored interest for Kuzma over the last couple of seasons, especially during last year's NBA Trade Deadline before general manager Will Dawkins opted to give the versatile wing the option to stay in D.C. or accept a trade to the Dallas Mavericks. Obviously, Kuzma elected to stand pat with the Wizards but he may not have the same luxury this go round.
With the Wizards sitting at 3-21 on the season, there's not much hope for the franchise to turn their year around and with no inclination that they'll be competitive any time soon, they could be a team poised for a fire sale as the February trade deadliine approaches once again.
Fortunately for them, it may not be too difficult for them to find a trade partner with another Eastern Conference team reportedly already showing interest in Kuzma.
Pacers showing interest in Kyle Kuzma
The Indiana Pacers entered this season with high hopes after a run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season before losing to the eventual NBA Champions in the Boston Celtics. However, the young squad has seemingly struggled to start the year and they could be looking to make some changes to the roster in hopes to turn their season around.
One name that has internally come up seems to be the Wizards forward who has seemingly been a player on their radar dating back to his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kuzma is in the midst of his worst season as a Wizards averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 42.0% from field goal range and 27.6% from beyond the arc. Nonetheless, he's proven that he can be an explosive scorer as well as an underrated facilitator and a fresh start could be the key to unlocking his former self.
Not to mention the 29-year-old has been plagued with injuries through the start of the season. Ultimately, if the price is right for both sides, this could be a beneficial move for Indiana and Washington to make. The Wizards could get draft capital and/or young players to add to their rebuild, while the Pacers could land a scoring wing to pair alongside Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam.
As of now, the interest seems to be preliminary, but in a league where things happen quickly, this could be worth monitoring.