Inside The Wizards

Analyst: Wizards Must Trade Kyle Kuzma

Kyle Kuzma is on the trade block for the Washington Wizards.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 22, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Nov 22, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
In this story:

The NBA trade deadline is a little more than five weeks away, and the Washington Wizards have some work to do.

While trade talks are looming around for Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon, the player most likely to be dealt from the Wizards is Kyle Kuzma.

Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley believes the Wizards made a mistake by keeping Kuzma last year and thinks that they cannot make the same error again this time around.

"The Washington Wizards had a deal in place to send Kyle Kuzma to the Dallas Mavericks at last season's trade deadline," Buckley writes. "For whatever reason, though, they sought out Kuzma's opinion on it. And when the 29-year-old decided he didn't want the deal, the Wizards didn't either."

"Given a chance for a do-over, they almost certainly would do things differently. Kuzma's trade market isn't in great shape, and there's no reason to believe that will change between now and February," he continued.

The Wizards won't be able to get the same price as they might have a year ago, but trading Kuzma is the right move for all parties involved. Kuzma doesn't gain much playing on a team filled with younger players as the primary focus and the Wizards don't benefit much as he becomes a roadblock for the core of the squad.

Kuzma, 29, has been hurt for most of the season. However, he returned to action on Monday against the New York Knicks after being on the sidelines for a month with a rib cartilage injury.

Now that he's back on the floor, Kuzma will get a chance to showcase himself as rival teams keep an eye on him before potentially crafting an offer to the Wizards to possibly acquire him.

The Wizards have until Feb. 6 to make their decision on Kuzma.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

Published
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.

Home/Washington Wizards News