Inside The Wizards

Wizards Face Obstacle in Kyle Kuzma Trade

Kyle Kuzma may be traded by the Washington Wizards soon.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) warms up before the game between the Washington Wizards and the LA Clippers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Nov 27, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) warms up before the game between the Washington Wizards and the LA Clippers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards have been long rumored to be interested in trading veteran forward Kyle Kuzma by the Feb. 6 deadline.

Kuzma, 29, has been out since Nov. 27 with bruised ribs, which has caused him to miss the last 11 games for the team.

However, it isn't just Kuzma's injury woes that are preventing him from being traded. NBA insider Jake Fischer says his contract has some undesirable facets to it for the Wizards.

"Kuzma's apron salary comes in at $26.5 million thanks to his unlikely bonuses, compared to his $23.5 million cap hit for trade salary purposes ... and that's before also factoring in Kuzma's 15% trade kicker. For the latter, if Kuzma were to be dealt today, his apron salary would rise by another $2 million charged to the team trading him away," Fischer writes.

It remains to be seen if this extra sum of money will be a dealbreaker when it comes to negotiations. Considering his salary is already a lot, it likely won't be a huge issue. The injuries are probably a little more concerning.

Plus, Kuzma's salary descends after every year in the deal, which softens the blow for the extra money upon the trade. Kuzma is making $23.5 million this year, but that number shrinks to $21.4 million next year and $19.4 million in 2026-27, the final season of the contract.

Teams will still be interested in Kuzma given the fact that he can be a scorer both in the starting lineup and off the bench. He also has a lot of positional versatility and playoff experience, and that's what the Wizards should be pushing as they get into negotiations with rival teams for his services.

The Wizards' next game comes tomorrow against the New York Knicks at 7 p.m. ET.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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