Kyle Kuzma Stands By Decision to Deny Mavericks Trade

The Mavericks had the framework in place for a trade for Kuzma, but he didn't want to leave Washington

Nov 10, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) makes a move to the basket on Dallas Mavericks forward Reggie Bullock (25) during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks were aggressive at last year's trade deadline, realizing the roster they hadn't wasn't good enough for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They scoured the market for a forward that would fit next to them and initially landed on Kyle Kuzma on the Washington Wizards.

While the full framework of the deal was never announced, the Mavericks felt it was a strong enough offer to bring in the former champion, so Wizards executive president Michael Winger asked Kuzma if he'd like to be traded. The Wizards had won just nine games to that point, while the Mavs were a fringe playoff team. Despite that, Kuzma said no, and the Wizards called off that deal. Dallas would pivot and get Daniel Gafford from the Wizards instead to shore up their center rotation and land P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets to fill their hole at forward.

With those two new additions, the Mavericks turned into the best defense in basketball over the final 20 games of the season, positioning them fifth in the Western Conference. They then used that positioning, a newfound stingy defense, and two superstar guards to make a surprising run to the NBA Finals. Even with that run, Kuzma stands by his decision to stay in Washington.

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"[Dallas] played hella basketball. Like, great ball," Kuzma told Josh Robbins of The Athletic. "They were an interesting group all year. When you looked at them right before the trade deadline, they were a team that didn’t really know who they were. You could see by adding another center to play extended minutes, Daniel Gafford, and to add another forward really helped them get over some type of hump. So, it was interesting, because I don’t think anybody thought they were a contending type of team at the middle [of the season]. I don’t think anybody necessarily wrote them in at that time as somebody that was going to be in the Finals."

Then, when Robbins asked Kuzma if he ever regretted not agreeing to the trade, "Absolutely not. A big part of the Mavericks becoming who they were was getting an extra center and a forward. If I would’ve went there, that wouldn’t have happened, getting two impact players. And when you look at who won the championship, it wasn’t a team with (just) three or four players; it was a team with six or seven really good players: Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford. They had some players. So you need more players [to win]."

There's a good chance they wouldn't have made their deep postseason run if the Mavericks traded for Kuzma. He's a good third option for a championship-level team but doesn't offer the same versatility defensively that P.J. Washington does. If they could've found a way to get all three of Kuzma, Gafford, and Washington, things might've worked offensively, but Derrick Jones Jr. was a big part of the team's defense last year.

Kuzma remains in Washington on a team that is projected to win 22.5 games and only won 15 last year. Meanwhile, the Mavericks should be a 50-win team again and will be a contender in the Western Conference.

Since Kuzma already has a ring from his time with the LA Lakers, he likely prioritizes his numbers and salary at this point. Going from being the first option in Washington to the third option in Washington may not have been an enjoyable experience for him.

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