Grade the Trade: Wizards flip Kyle Kuzma for top-5 pick in NBA Draft, 2 players

The Washington Wizards are in a very intriguing position. They just finished up their worst season in franchise history, but they have a few interesting pathways forward.

Deni Avdija had a solid end to the season, Bilal Coulibaly looks promising, and the Wizards have the second pick in the upcoming 2024 NBA Draft, meaning they can bring in another young player.

Though this year’s draft is supposed to be one of the weakest in recent memory, the Wizards could still walk away with a solid player. And if they complete this recent mock trade, they could have multiple top picks.

Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report suggested a deal that would send Kyle Kuzma to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Isaiah Stewart, Quentin Grimes, and the fifth pick in the draft.

Kuzma has been good during his time with the Wizards, and while he supposedly declined the chance to join the Dallas Mavericks this past year, he would make a decent fit on any contending team.

The 28-year-old forward had three more years left on his current contract, and he will be making roughly $29.6 million, $31.8 million, and $34.0 million in each of them, respectively.

Grimes had a pretty rough season with the New York Knicks and Pistons, as he was traded from the former to the latter at the deadline in a deal highlighted by Bojan Bogdanovic. As for Stewart, his intriguing blend of toughness and shooting makes him an intriguing long-term piece.

Washington landing the fifth pick would be the highlight of this trade, though, as they would head into the draft with two top-five selections.

Let’s grade the trade from both teams’ perspectives.