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.
Grade the Trade: Detroit Pistons’ perspective
Despite their embarrassingly-bad season this past year, the Detroit Pistons have supposedly been attempting to compete for a while now. They just haven’t had much success in doing so.
In a draft that is expected to be one of the weaker ones in recent years, trading the fifth pick for a solid starter isn’t as bad of an idea as it may seem at face value.
Rather than taking a chance on a young player, the Pistons would bring in a player who would be able to help Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, and the rest of their young core push for the postseason.
Despite the Washington Wizards’ bad season this past year, Kuzma put up some solid numbers. In 70 appearances, Kuzma averaged 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 46.3% from the field and 33.6% from behind the three-point line.
Detroit is very high on their core four players: Cunningham, Ivey, Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren. However, now that Bogdanovic is gone, adding a power forward could be a priority this summer.
There are some rumors that they could look to sign Tobias Harris in free agency, which would make a Kuzma trade relatively useless, and Simone Fontecchio actually looks like an underrated piece, too.
Trading the fifth pick to push for improvement isn’t a terrible idea, and Kuzma would be a nice pick-up. The move isn’t flashy, but it would make the Pistons better.
Grade: B
Grade the Trade: Washington Wizards’ perspective
Trading Kyle Kuzma would make the Washington Wizards worse. But heading into next year, that’s exactly what they want to be.
They just finished the year with their worst record in franchise history and were rewarded with the second pick in the draft. But they did it in a year where there aren’t expected to be any generational talents available.
Next year, Cooper Flagg will be headlining the 2025 NBA Draft. If the Wizards can tank effectively for a second straight season, they will have a good chance at landing the first pick and, in turn, Flagg.
Outside of the realm of tanking, though, getting a second top-five pick in the 2024 NBA Draft gives the Wizards two chances at landing a top-tier young player.
There may not be a generational talent available, but there are plenty of solid prospects for the Wizards to choose from. Moving Kuzma for one of them is exactly what this Washington team should be looking to do.
Whether it be for a point guard like Stephon Castle of Reed Sheppard or a big man like Donovan Clingan or Alex Sarr, Washington could walk away with two great young players.
Add in the chance for them to help Quentin Grimes revive his career and landing Isaiah Stewart as an enforcer, and this trade would be a huge win for the Wizards.
Grade: A