At 9-41 this season, the Wizards have the second-worst record in the NBA. It’s been a struggle for the team to win consistently in 2023-24. When they traded Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal this offseason, they lost a lot of star talent. Their record this season accurately reflects that.
Washington’s best player this season has been PF Kyle Kuzma. He’s in his third season with the Wizards after being traded by the Lakers at the 2020-21 deadline. There’s been talks of the 2020 NBA champ possibly being traded at this year’s deadline. However, the Wizards have informed teams they are not going to be moving Kuzma this season. He’ll remain with the Wizards.
Kyle Kuzma is not going to be traded by the Washington Wizards
The Wizards are informing teams that they are retaining Kyle Kuzma, per @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/mmvoAwVU0O
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 8, 2024
When teams spoke with Washington about Kyle Kuzma, their asking price was reportedly high. The Wizards value what Kuzma brings to the team and they were not willing to part ways for cheap. Another reason the team is not moving the 28-year-old is due to his expressed interest in staying with the Wizards. Why trade a player who wants to remain with your team? It was a no-brainer for the Wizards to not trade Kuzma ahead of the deadline.
Additionally, Washington signed Kuzma to a four-year, $90 million deal last offseason. That is why teams would love to add that kind of deal to their roster for the production they’d get from Kuzma. Washington is not going to budge and they are going to keep Kyle Kuzma. Without him, who knows how bad the team would truly be this season?
The Wizards have told interested teams they intend to keep Kyle Kuzma beyond today’s 3 PM deadline. More here on Washington’s stance: https://t.co/P3Pz2hsQQh https://t.co/toW9YZ069r
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 8, 2024
At this point in their season, the Wizards are looking to have a chance at a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Their roster is in serious need of help and rebuilding has to be done. Kyla Kuzma is a player they can build around. However, the Wizards need to make additions to the roster if they want to be a contender in the East.
