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Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma declined his $13 million player option on Tuesday, according to a tweet from ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
“ESPN Sources: As expected, Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has declined his $13 million player option and become a free agent,” Wojnarowski wrote. “Kuzma will be one of the marketplace's most prominent players. A return to Washington on a new deal remains a possibility.”
Kuzma had spent the last two seasons with the Wizards, where he earned averages of 19.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He arrived in Washington via a trade that sent guard Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021.
The Wizards traded guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns for guards Chris Paul, Landry Shamet and multiple second-round picks and pick swaps. Washington added forward Isaiah Todd in the trade. Beal had played for the Wizards since the 2012-13 season. He earned three All-Star selections and the a spot on the All-NBA Third Team in 2021 during his 11-year NBA career.
Should the Washington Wizards re-sign Kuzma after the Beal trade? Or should they let him walk in free agency?
Size and scoring
No modern team can have enough size and score at the three and the four.
Kuzma, the former No. 27 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, placed third on the Wizards' roster in points per game behind Beal and Porzingis. He scored a season-high 40 points against the New York Knicks in January, hitting 14 of his 27 shot attempts as the Knicks took a 112-108 victory in Capital One Arena.
Though he has been shooting at a 44.9% rate from the field throughout his six-year NBA career, Kuzma has been one of the Wizards' top scorers since he first came to Washington in 2021. He took third place on the squad behind Beal and Porzingis with an average of 17.1 points per game during the 66 games he played during the 2021-22 season.
Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. highlighted Kuzma's size and ability to “play off the bounce” in a 2022 article from NBA.com.
“He's 6'10” and people don't really realize it,” Unseld Jr. said of Kuzma in 2022, via NBA.com. “With his size, his ability to play off the bounce, he gets to a spot. He's a big guy. He uses his body, his leverage. He creates and initiates content and it's tough to guard.
“It just gives you a little bit more flexibility when you quote-unquote downsize. You're really not going small.”
Keeping some consistency on the Wizards
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The Wizards need long-term options.
It would be beneficial if they kept some consistency on their roster, especially as the team enters an era without a star guard in Beal.
Washington does have the No. 8 pick in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft, along with the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level and Bi-Annual exceptions, to work with this offseason. Selecting a surefire starter at No. 8 could help guide the Wizards to the long-term stability they need and take steps to build around some of the team's younger options.
But keeping players like Kuzma around can go a long way in ensuring the Wizards have some consistency in their lineup.
11 players at least have the option of returning to the Wizards next season, according to Spotrac. Forward Kristaps Porzingis is listed with a $36 million player option with a June 21 deadline. He will become an unrestricted free agent in 2024 if he accepts the option. Guard Chris Paul will be on a partially-guaranteed deal for the 2023-24 season.
Center Daniel Gafford, who joined the Wizards during the 2020-21 season via a trade with the Chicago Bulls, will become an unrestricted free agent in 2026. He signed a three-year, $40 million contract extension with Washington in 2021.
“We're very excited to extend Daniel's contract and continue to see him develop within our system after his athleticism on both ends of the floor made such an immediate impact for us last season,” said then-Wizards General Manager Tommy Sheppard in a 2021 release. “We are confident that he has the character and drive to keep working hard to improve his overall game and become an even bigger part of what we are building with our team.”
Shamet and forward Xavier Brooks could become unrestricted free agents in 2026 if the Wizards exercise their team options before then. Porzingis, guards Monte Morris, Delon Wright and forward Anthony Gill can all become free agents in 2024.
The Wizards need at least a few players to stick around long-term. Kuzma may not completely fit the timeline the Wizards have put upon themselves if Porzingis declines his player option and Washington fully commits to a rebuild, but he would certainly be a start in creating a new identity for Washington basketball.
