SUMMARY
- The Washington Wizards are reportedly considering trading forward Kyle Kuzma ahead of the February trade deadline.
- The Wizards are said to be seeking at least two first-round picks in exchange for Kyle Kuzma.
The February trade deadline is less than 3 weeks away, and the league is boiling with trade rumors. After the major OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam trades, the Washington Wizards might enter the market. After the Toronto Raptors, the other major seller in the league seems to be the Wizards, as they might trade Kyle Kuzma.
The Raptors already shocked the fans with a blockbuster deal in the Pascal trade. What if another franchise could claim that? Marc Stein, the second-worst record holder in the league, might aim for such a trade. The Washington Wizards traded off Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis in the offseason and are in the headlines for Kyle Kuzma. Stein, an NBA Insider, has dropped this news in an article on his Substack account.
Per the article, the Wizards want two first-round picks for Kuzma. This might be their way of having some real talent on the team. The Wizards couldn’t receive a genuine first-round pick when they traded off Porzingis and Beal.
The Washington Wizards are reportedly looking for better quality draft picks in exchange for Kyle Kuzma than the ones Toronto received for Pascal Siakam, per @TheSteinLine
“The Wizards, sources say, want at least two first-round picks for Kuzma. And the implication is they will… pic.twitter.com/87LfC02cYK
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 21, 2024
They merely got some second-rounders and some first-round swaps. Stein wrote, “At least two first-round picks for Kuzma. The implication is they will be seeking higher-quality picks than Toronto received from Indiana in the Pascal Siakam trade.”
Well, the market seems hot for the 28-year-old, as a couple more teams have joined the list. Per multiple sources, the Dallas Mavericks, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Golden State Warriors are some teams that are eyeing Kuzma. After all, Kuzma threw in a double-digit score in the last Wizards’ loss as well.
Kyle Kuzma leads the Wizards vs. the Nuggets, scoring in double-digits
There’s been another update from the Wizards. The team is not eager to trade Kuzma immediately. Per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Kuzma is riding on a descending contract, and there seems to be no immediate urgency to trade him. After all, the player is throwing decent scores, and that might help increase his value.
The Wizards went up against the Denver Nuggets on January 21, 2024, at the Capital One Arena on home court. The team, however, trailed by an 11-point margin.
The Wizards lost against the Nuggets, 104–113. Kuzma, however, shined through the night. Kuzma dropped 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in his 33 minutes on the court. The star forward has dropped double-digit points in the last five games as well. The forward has played 42 games till now and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while recording 45.5% shooting from the deep.