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The Washington Wizards have, predictably, been one of the worst teams in the NBA so far this season. Heading into Monday night's slate of games, the Wizards have the worst record in the league at 4-22.
Of course, this means that contenders around the league will be keeping an eye on some of the team's better veteran players who could be traded if the Wizards decide to be sellers by the trade deadline. With Washington seemingly in a place where they would be ready to offload some of those players in exchange for expiring contracts or draft capital, forward Kyle Kuzma is one player to watch in a potential deal.
Kuzma could have been traded last season, but he preferred to stay in Washington, D.C., and the Wizards granted that wish despite not being forced to buy anything in the 29-year-old's contract. However, that may not be the case this year, according to NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
“The rising belief leaguewide is that the Wizards are eager to find a trade partner for Kuzma at some point during the next six-plus weeks … and that Kuzma would want to depart this time with the 4-22 Wizards scarcely even trying to be competitive heading into the loaded 2025 NBA Draft,” Stein reported.”
Last season, Kuzma seemed likely to be headed to the Dallas Mavericks before they ended up with P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. This season, other contenders could be searching for help in the form of Kuzma.
Potential Kyle Kuzma trade suitors
Kyle Kuzma could be a big addition to a contender's rotation, given his size, shooting, and scoring ability, and his proclivity to contribute on the glass.
Despite burning a lot of their assets last season to bolster their big man rotation, the Mavericks could still be a team that is in play for Kuzma, though that would take the kind of all-in move that may not be worth it for Kuzma's level of play, so Dallas may be one of the teams on the outside looking in in these sweepstakes.
One team to closely monitor is the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have had a very disappointing season and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak, so they could be one team that is looking for a serious upgrade at the deadline. Kuzma could give them some more size in the front court, which is something the Kings desperately need next to the somewhat undersized Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento will have some options at the deadline, but Kuzma is a name that could be close to the top of the list.
One other team that has the kind of draft capital that the Wizards will be seeking in a deal is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sam Presti has become famous for stockpiling picks, and now he can start unloading some of them to get his team some help on the wing.
