New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Kuzma to Sacramento, Atlanta Moves Hunter To Bolster Wing Depth

Could the Hawks be involved in the Kings acquiring Kuzma?

Jan 13, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) is defended by Atlanta Hawks guard Trent Forrest (2) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

While the offseason has slowed, there are still several big names that could be moved before the start of the season. One of those is Kyle Kuzma.

The Wizards forward can fit on almost any contender looking to upgrade at the wing spots. His upside is somewhat limited, but it is easy to see why he has interest around the league. I wrote about his possible fit on the Hawks in an earlier piece and my thoughts on him have not changed.

"Kuzma is more of a known entity, seeing as how he was a rotation player during the Lakers' 2020 championship run. His defensive effort is not quite where it was at in 2020, but he has taken on more of a scoring role for Washington. He averaged 22 points last year on atrue shooting percentage of 54.7% while dishing out 3.8 dimes and grabbing 7 rebounds per game."

"The one concern is that Kuzma is somewhat of a ball stopper - he held the ball for3.32 seconds per touch last season. For some comparison, Julius Randle and Tobias Harris (who both have ball stopper reputations) held the ball for 3.15 and 3.2 seconds respectively. In a reduced role, though, I would not expect this to be much of a problem."

Recent reports indicate that the Sacramento Kings are interested in adding Kuzma to their team after acquiring Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade. ESPN's James Ham, who covers the Kings, had this to say about their interest in both Kuzma and Lauri Markkanen.

Kings acquired DeMar DeRozan but aren't necessarily done trying to acquire talent. @James_HamNBA talked about some names earlier⬇️@DLoAndKC I Mon-Fri 12p-4p Watch:https://t.co/wpb7Do17ff
Podcast: https://t.co/woLTAhgpTr pic.twitter.com/a2m7q1XTlt

— ESPN 1320 Sacramento (@ESPN1320) July 9, 2024

"From what I know, the Kings are very interested in purusing Markkanen and Kuzma. They do not feel like they are done. They feel like there is a move here that puts them in a really strong position, not just a top four or five playoff team, but a team that can really compete."

If the Kings are interesting in getting Kuzma, could a three-team deal make sense for Atlanta to be involved in? I think this could be an excellent opportunity for the Hawks to clear up long-term salary cap space and add to their rotation.

Atlanta seems to be entering a period of inactivity after opening the offseason up with a big move. They traded Murray to New Orleans for Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance, EJ Liddell, Cody Zeller, and two first round picks, one of those picks being the Lakers unprotected 2025 pick. It is known that the Hawks want to get under the tax and move De'Andre Hunter and/or Clint Capela, but rumors on those two players have been quiet as of late. Atlanta could duck the tax and move Hunter in a three-team deal.

It should be noted that this is just speculative and a fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.

Here is the trade:

Atlanta receives: Corey Kispert, Trey Lyles, Johnny Davis, 2025 2nd round pick (via GSW, via Washington) and a 2025 2nd round pick (via Phoenix, via Washington)

Washington receives: DeAndre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, 2027 1st-round pick (via Sacramento, top-seven protected)

Sacramento receives: Bruno Fernando, Kyle Kuzma, 2025 2nd-round pick (via Minnesota, top-12 protected), 2026 2nd-round pick (via Memphis), 2028 2nd-round pick (via Houston)

Atlanta would do this deal in order to move off of Hunter's deal and land his replacement in Kispert. I also wrote about Kispert's game in an earlier piece:

"Kispert is more of a bench scorer, but still averaged a career-best 13.4 points, 2.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds. The enticing parts of his profile are his 38.3% shooting percentage from three on an impressive six attempts per game and 90th percentile mark as a finisher around the rim."

Amidst a rough season for the Wizards, Kispert stood out as the team's three-point specialist. The problem is that his ancillary skills are underdeveloped. He is not a good rebounder, struggles on defense and needs to work on his playmaking. However, his fit as an offensive player is very seamless around someone like Trae Young. Atlanta does not necessarily need him to be a heightened playmaker since both Young and Johnson can handle those responsibilities. In a reduced context where he is forced to work on his defense and rebounding in order to stay on the court, I believe it is likely he can become a net-neutral in both those areas.

Landing Trey Lyles in this deal is a nice sweetener for Atlanta. Although he followed a breakout 2022-23 season up with an inconsistent 2023-24 campaign, the 6'9 forward is a good floor spacer who can keep up with wings and centers on defense. He hit 38.4% of his threes on 4 attempts per game and recorded a net rating of 7.7, indicating his positive contributions on defense. Between Lyles and Kispert, the Hawks can likely re-create Hunter's play in the aggregate for $11 million dollars less. Johnny Davis probably will not contribute much to the Hawks in the regular season, but could see time with the College Park squad to hone his skillset.

Washington is a rebuilding team that can afford to take on Hunter's contract. Hunter's perimeter defense fits well with young forward Bilal Couliably, who showed immense defensive upside in his first season. Furthermore, the Wizards would have a need for three-point shooting by sending out both Kispert and Kuzma. Even if he is not the perfect wing, Hunter's 3-and-D skillset would make a massive impact on Washington's young squad.

Sacramento lands Kuzma and a backup big man in Bruno Fernando. As a backup big, Fernando fits the scheme as he played some of his best basketball in Quin Snyder's direct hand-off scheme. Sacramento's offense is heavily predicated on DHOs, so he should be able to fill an offensive role in the limited time he gets. He is a bit undersized as a center and struggles as a defender, but the Kings would be taking on very little risk to find out if he can grow into a neutral defender.

Atlanta gets long-term flexibility under the salary cap because both Kispert and Lyles are expiring contacts. They might say no to the deal if they are not high on Kispert developing into more than a shooter or Lyles finding his 2022-23 form. Washington gets a possible long-term answer at the wing spot opposite Coulibaly. Perhaps they would be concerned about the loss of so much shooting in one off-season, but they gained a first-round pick in the deal and will be tanking regardless. Sacramento can scale Kuzma down into a more efficient sixth-man role or play him as a starter in bigger lineups. They are losing one of their better defenders in Lyles, which might cause them to balk at this deal.