Kyle Kuzma: Reportedly Desired By Dallas Mavericks
Consider this anything other than a fire sale, as the Washington Wizards are sellers at the trade deadline.
Kyle Kuzma of the Wizards is attracting interest from two clubs in need of wing support: the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings, according to Marc Stein’s most recent newsletter. Although Pascal Siakam was a target for both teams, they are now more focused on Kuzma, a strong 6’9″ wing who averages 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
According to Stein, the Wizards are holding out for two first-round selections in exchange for Kuzma, though. Moreover, The Wizards want respectable first-round picks, not a pair of poor, non-lottery picks (as the Raptors received in the Siakam trade). As most teams view this as a down draft, this is especially true if we’re talking about 2024 picks. Stein’s:
However, there isn’t much pressure on the Wizards to deal Kuzma during this transaction window. Not with Kuzma in the first year of a four-year, $90 million deal that starts this season at $25.6 million and drops to $19.4 million in the fourth year.
According to Matt Moore at The Action Network, the Kings are also reportedly considering Jerami Grant of Portland and Bojan Bogdanovic of the Pistons.
According to Stein, Washington is open to trade proposals for big man Daniel Gafford and point guard Tyus Jones, but they require a first-round selection in exchange. After this season, Jones will be an unrestricted free agency. Any club interested in trading for him should be aware that he is known to demand a starting position and a salary that matches, so it will be difficult for Washington to obtain a first-round selection for a potential rental as Jones.
Between now and the trade deadline of February 8th, expect a lot more speculations about Kyle Kuzma, but don’t count on him being traded (at least not until the summer).
