Sports
NBA Trade Rumors: Kyle Kuzma's Wizards Contract 'Highly Attractive' to Rival Teams – Bleacher Report
If the Washington Wizards want to add more future assets to help spark their long-term rebuild, Kyle Kuzma would be a desirable player for playoff contenders looking to make a trade.
Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Kuzma’s contract is considered “highly attractive” to clubs that want to upgrade their roster and maintain financial flexibility in the future under the new apron rules.
Kuzma is entering the second season of a four-year, $90 million contract he signed last offseason.
His deal is structured with descending salaries, so he will go from making $25.6 million in the first season to $23.5 million in 2024-25, $21.5 million in 2026-27 and $19.4 million in 2027-28. It includes a 15 percent trade kicker if he does get moved.
The Wizards were close to a deal that would have sent Kuzma to the Dallas Mavericks prior to the trade deadline in February. He told The Athletic’s Josh Robbins on Feb. 13 that Wizards president Michael Winger presented him with a trade to Dallas, but he preferred to stay in Washington.
“There was a point in time, Dallas, they definitely did want me. Winger presented me with what the trade was and obviously didn’t want to trade me and kind of left the decision up to me a little bit and asked me what I wanted to do,” Kuzma said. “I told him I wanted to stay and continue to build something. And that was kind of the end of it.”
It’s unclear what Dallas’ offer was for Kuzma, but it was at least good enough to get the Wizards to approach him about it.
The trade market has set prices very high for wing players. Mikal Bridges was traded to the New York Knicks by the Brooklyn Nets for a package of four unprotected draft picks and an unprotected pick swap, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Dejounte Murray isn’t a wing, but he brought back two first-round picks in 2025 and 2027 when the Atlanta Hawks agreed to trade him to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Scotto noted any trade for Kuzma would likely require multiple first-round draft picks going to the Wizards, with the Sacramento Kings among the teams that have shown interest in the 28-year-old.
Bridges’ contract is similar in total value to Kuzma’s at four years and $90.9 million, but he’s entering the third year of the deal with a $23.3 million salary in 2024-25 and $24.9 million in 2025-26.
Kuzma averaged career-highs in scoring (22.2 points per game) and assists (4.2) in 70 starts last season. He has averaged more than six rebounds per game in each of the past four seasons.