Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has declined his player option for the 2023/24 season and will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
The move had long been expected, as Kuzma spoke way back in December about his plans to turn down his option to become a free agent. The decision is more about his market value than a desire to leave D.C. — his option would have paid him $13MM, a figure he’ll almost certainly exceed on a new deal.
According to Wojnarowski, a return to Washington on a new contract remains a possibility for Kuzma, though it will be interesting to see how the team’s new front office – and apparent new direction – affects those negotiations. The Wizards reached an agreement this week to send Bradley Beal to Phoenix and appears to be in the process of a major roster reset.
Kuzma, who will turn 28 next month, spent the last two seasons in D.C. after being included in the blockbuster deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. He averaged a career-best 21.2 points per game in 64 contests (35.0 MPG) this past season, posting a shooting line of .448/.333/.730 and contributing 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per night.
It’s unclear where Kuzma might land if he doesn’t remain in Washington, though a recent report linked him to the Pacers and Rockets, two teams with cap room. Finding a club with cap space or the ability to acquire him via sign-and-trade will be necessary if Kuzma wants to change teams and exceed his $13MM option salary, since this year’s full mid-level exception projects to come in around $12.2MM.
Kuzma joins Fred VanVleet and Draymond Green as veterans who have declined player options for 2023/24; others are expected to join them, including James Harden and Josh Hart. Our tracker can be found right here.
One player whose option decision remains up in the air is Kuzma’s teammate Kristaps Porzingis. He could assure himself of $36MM if he opts in and is reportedly still mulling that possibility.
Porzingus to the Clippers would be a very interesting fit…
A team of 12 ADs wouldn’t be as injury prone as that Clippers lineup lmaooo
Forget Street Clothes, that team would be Street Wardrobe
They need to work their tails off to net a S&T with some bad salary from Kuz-
The Beal deal opened up the ledger to whole new dimensions, time to capitalize on a little value
I like the idea of Ben’s salary slot from Brk or Tobi’s from Philly as both teams seem to want to punch up but don’t have the greatest of assets to do so –
Something with Dallas probably exists, but I’m done (trying to) project Dallas
@Cap & Crunch I disagree, I think even though a lot of people clown on Ben Simmona, hes not that removed from his all star level years. Looking at his shooting percentages last year, they were in line with his career norms. Ben just needs to shoot more shots (get his confidence up) and focus on staying healthy. While I do think Ben Simmons is a dog for staying out games when I believe hes fully healthy, or what he did to the 76ers in his final year, I think this year he will reclaim his value. The Nets need a point gaurd and hes perfect for that role. I also believe Kuzma is not a winning player. He reminds me a lot of Kelly Oubre and to a lesser extent, Bradley Beal. These guys just take a lot of inefficient shots and play no D. Atleast Simmons can gaurd all 5 positions
Another thought on Kuzma for incoming team – He’s a really really good player BUT …..he needs to be constantly coached up-
One of the best jobs Vogel did with the Lakers was turning Kuzma from a one dimensional player (scorer) into more of a swiss army knife who didn’t need to score to an above avg NBA player – He began rebounding at a 7+ clip, his defense was better, he ran the break harder, and trimmed his scoring opps down to be very efficient looks
Hes not a guy you can say just go play, many 28 year olds are tbh , but that aint Kuzma tho. Whoever takes him in the coach has to A) Have intrigue obv, but also a desire to get after him for probably what is the whole contract. Under those lenses, and if Kuzma buys in I think you’ll get a good next contract….let him run wild you’ll probably be underwhelmed
I **assume he kinda just ran wild in Wash last year, tho thats an assumption as I didn’t much much of any Wiz ball last year. Just assuming as that Wizs Mo…while it lead to some counting stats I see the efficiency took a hit, this isnt the player Id want at 20+ AAV but like I say above theres more under the hood imo, still a scary/risky contract most likely day its inked even with all the kind words .
Maybe a Wiz fan could provide further context to what they saw…..
This guy is fools gold $13M is his max value. Inefficient role player