Kyle Kuzma Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trade Market Heating Up For Kyle Kuzma

December 12th, 2022 at 8:57am CST by Arthur Hill

There’s plenty of interest in Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma as the NBA’s unofficial trade season begins this week, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Pincus cautions that Washington hasn’t decided to move Kuzma, but there’s a risk he’ll leave in free agency next summer if he declines his $13MM player option for 2023/24 as expected. General manager Tommy Sheppard recently indicated that the Wizards intend to re-sign Kuzma, but Pincus points out that the team already has two established scorers in Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis and is off to an 11-16 start.

Pincus adds that Kuzma could be one of the five best players on the free agent market and may become too expensive for Washington to keep.

“He wants out,” an NBA source said told Pincus. “He’s looking for over $20 million a season and in a big market (or with a contender).”

Pincus cites the Kings, who tried to trade for Kuzma in 2021 before the Lakers sent him to the Wizards, as a team to watch. Sacramento can’t unconditionally offer a first-rounder earlier than their 2028 pick, but Pincus believes a deal could be constructed around Harrison Barnes and either that future pick or a young prospect such as Davion Mitchell.

The Suns may see a Kuzma trade as a chance to finally unload Jae Crowder, Pincus notes, suggesting Crowder and Cameron Johnson, who is recovering from knee surgery, may be enough to get a deal done. Johnson will be a restricted free agent next summer, which would allow the Wizards to match any offer he might get.

Pincus also believes the Knicks have interest in Kuzma, who is represented by CAA, the former agency of team president Leon Rose. Obi Toppin could be the centerpiece of a deal, according to Pincus, who adds that New York has young players such as Immanuel Quickley and Cam Reddish to offer, along with a wealth of draft assets.

Wizards Receiving Trade Interest In Kyle Kuzma

December 6th, 2022 at 12:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

A number of teams have expressed interest in Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, but general manager Tommy Sheppard considers him a cornerstone of Washington’s future, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

League sources tell Charania that the Hawks and Suns have both reached out to the Wizards about a potential Kuzma trade. Washington had interest in Atlanta forward John Collins and the teams engaged in serious discussions about a deal during the offseason, Charania adds.

However, Sheppard indicated that he’s committed to keeping Kuzma, who has meshed with Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in their first full season together. Kuzma is averaging a career-high 20.6 PPG this season, and he seems to have reached another level since being acquired from the Lakers during the summer of 2021.

“We’ve had great respect for Kyle since he’s been in the league,” Sheppard said. “He had a great rookie season, being in the Rookie of the Year conversation, and then life changed when LeBron (James) came. So when the trade happened, it allowed Kyle an opportunity to join our program, have a bigger role, start for us, and he has been outstanding. Kyle has such a great personality and demeanor, and he has so much more room to grow in the future for us. We’re really excited for his future growth here.”

Kuzma is almost certain to turn down his $13MM player option for next season and test free agency. Charania hears from rival executives that Kuzma’s next contract could start in the $20MM to $25MM range.

Kuzma touches on several topics during an interview with Charania, including:

Why his game blossomed after being traded to Washington:

“Being in this situation helped out a lot. Here, I’m not playing behind LeBron and (Anthony Davis). Those guys are my position, my type of player, who I am, my style. So coming here, I don’t have that anymore. It’s been great because me, Brad and KP don’t get in each other’s way. We all just flow out there. It’s been a pretty good jell for the first 20 games. We’re all averaging 20 a game without having any friction out there.”

His current contract, which has him somewhat underpaid at $13MM:

“I definitely did the Lakers a little favor to have the hometown discount. I always appreciate (Lakers vice president of basketball operations) Rob Pelinka for the deal that he gave me, because it gave me security and it gave me a player option. I was one of the few players in NBA history without being a lottery pick to have a player option in an extension. Everything has worked out in my favor from signing that deal to my progression as a player to this summer too.”

The state of the Wizards’ locker room after chemistry issues last season:

“If you look at our team last year, we were so up and down, because we didn’t like each other. … This year, yeah, we’re still working through some things, but we have a genuine group, an authentic group. We actually like each other.”

Figuring out how to play alongside Beal and Porzingis:

“We’re approaching it every day. For us, we have to keep pushing it, and we have to exhaust each other. We have to make everyone else better. That’s our next step. When we can make other guys better on our team, it will make our job so much easier. We all want to win and we want to make those around us better. I’m a champion. I’ve been at the highest level and played in some of the highest games in the championship. I’ve learned the game of basketball from probably the greatest player of all time, so I have a lot of knowledge in the way that I play, the way that I see the game. It’s all because of my past.”

Wizards Notes: Beal, Porzingis, Gafford, Hachimura

December 4th, 2022 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the No Chill with Gilbert Arenas podcast, Wizards star Bradley Beal was asked by Arenas’ co-host Josiah Johnson about why he decided to sign a long-term contract to remain in D.C. this past summer. Beal responded by explaining that he appreciates the influence he has earned within the organization and believes in the talent on the roster.

“Not everybody gives you a voice in the organization. I have a voice here,” Beal said (hat tip to Paul Terrazzano Jr. of TalkBasket). “I never had a chance to fully play a year with (Kristaps Porzingis). That enticed me. He’s probably the best big I’ve played with. I like (Kyle Kuzma)’s ability to be able to spread his wings a little bit more, develop into the player that we think he can be. And then I think I like the young core that we were developing. Rui (Hachimura) is really good, had an awesome summer. Deni (Avdija)‘s just gonna continue to get better. And then Corey (Kispert)‘s a knockdown shooter, who is a pro’s pro.

“We still need to get better. I’m not sitting here saying, ‘We’re gonna hold up the Larry (O’Brien trophy). We’re going to beat Milwaukee (in the playoffs) tomorrow.’ No. But to have the pieces we have, we have enough to know that we can compete on a nightly basis with no BS. We know that we got a job, everybody’s able to be a star in their role, and we can go do that.”

It would have been hard for Beal to turn down the Wizards’ five-year, $251MM+ offer, which included a no-trade clause, in any scenario. But the star guard admitted that he didn’t actually have a ton of viable alternatives on the free agent market, alluding to the fact that many contending teams were in the tax, or at least well over the cap. The teams operating with cap space this summer were virtually all retooling or rebuilding clubs.

“On the flip side of it, the business side of it. There were no teams in the market, free agency-wise. I’m just being frank,” Beal said. “There was nowhere else for me to go where I can be like, ‘Oh, I can go win.’ It was teams that strategically wasn’t what I wanted. So realistically, I won’t say my hand was forced, but this was my best decision and best option on the table at the time.”

Here’s more on the Wizards:

While you could gripe about some of his poorly timed late-game turnovers, Beal is otherwise off to a strong start in the first season of his mega-deal, writes Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. As Hughes observes, Beal’s current streak of 11 consecutive 20-point games is already better than any run he had last season, and his shooting percentages (.520 FG%, .352 3PT%) have rebounded in a major way after a down year in 2021/22 (.451 FG%, .300 3PT%).
As Hughes notes in another story for NBC Sports Washington, Unseld used centers Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford together in the frontcourt on Friday for the first time all season. The move, an attempt to counter the impact that Charlotte’s duo of Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards was having on the boards and in the paint, was a success, with the Wizards outscoring the Hornets by 18 points during Porzingis’ and Gafford’s 12 minutes together. According to Hughes, the combination looks like an “in case of emergency” option for Unseld, but it could be worth trying more, given its effectiveness on Friday.
Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said on Friday that there’s no real timeline for Rui Hachimura‘s return from a bone bruise in his right ankle, referring to the fourth-year forward as “week-to-week,” according to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post (Twitter link). Hachimura has missed the Wizards’ last seven games.

Wizards Among Potential Suitors For Jae Crowder

November 30th, 2022 at 1:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards appear to be among the trade suitors for Suns forward Jae Crowder, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on his latest Hoop Collective podcast. Crowder has sat out the entire 2022/23 season as Phoenix has looked to move him, and Washington is in the market for a three-and-D type player.

“There’s been some chatter about them looking at a guy like Jae Crowder,” Windhorst said of the Wizards (hat tip to RealGM). “I’m pretty confident there’s been some discussions between the Wizards and Suns. We’ve been talking about Jae Crowder now for about two months. It’s obvious it’s a hard trade to pull off. The Wizards have a bunch of guys who make decent salaries on their roster that they can use in trades.”

A number of Eastern Conference playoff contenders have already been linked to Crowder, with the Heat, Hawks, and Bucks among the teams said to have interest. There was a sense a couple weeks ago that Phoenix might be on the verge of completing a deal involving the 32-year-old, but nothing has come of those rumors to date.

The Suns are one of the NBA’s best teams and will be looking for win-now pieces – rather than draft picks or prospects – in any Crowder trade, which has made it challenging for them to make a straight-up trade with another contending club. They’ve reportedly explored multi-team scenarios in an effort to get the sort of player(s) they’re targeting.

According to Windhorst, Phoenix would like to acquire a power forward in a Crowder trade. A previous report indicated the Suns have interest in Kyle Kuzma, but the Wizards are presumably looking to supplement Kuzma in their frontcourt rather than give him up, given the year he’s having. Former lottery picks Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija could be trade candidates, as Windhorst observes.

“What Phoenix has been looking for in return for Jae Crowder is a power forward,” Windhorst said. “So you can look at the (Wizards’) roster and you can identify that maybe Hachimura would be a guy. But they haven’t made the deal yet, so there hasn’t been a connection there.

“… To be honest with you, if I was Phoenix – now again, this is me speaking, this is not what I’ve heard, to be clear – I’d be interested in Avdija. I am interested in what he can do defensively. But I haven’t heard that. I’ve just heard that those two sides have talked.”

Crowder ($10.18MM) and Hachimura ($6.26MM) are on expiring contracts, while Avdija ($4.92MM) has one more year left on his rookie deal after this one.

Southeast Notes: Butler, Morris, Wizards, Vaillancourt

November 27th, 2022 at 6:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler could rejoin the Heat during their current road trip, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets. Coach Erik Spoeltra left that possibility open, indicating that Butler is working out in Miami. Butler, who has been dealing with right knee soreness, has only appeared in 13 games this season and has been sidelined since Nov. 16.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

Monte Morris was back in action for the Wizards on Sunday after the point guard missed the last three games because of right ankle soreness, Josh Robbins of The Athletic tweets. However, lottery pick Johnny Davis (right groin soreness), Rui Hachimura (right ankle soreness) and Kyle Kuzma (lower back pain) were inactive.
Injuries have created havoc for the Wizards’ rotation and weakened their bench, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes. The Wizards’ second unit is 20th in net rating (-1.2) and 26th in plus/minus (-3.3). The reserves rank 25th offensively (108.6), compared to ninth defensively (109.8).
Former Hornets broadcaster Gerry Vaillancourt has passed away, according to a team statement tweeted by the P.R. department. He was a radio and TV broadcaster for the team from 1990-2002. The cause of death was a heart condition that Vaillancourt, 72, was diagnosed with 25 years ago, according to Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer.

Hawks Talking John Collins Trades; Suns, Jazz Interested?

November 18th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Luke Adams

7:00pm: The Jazz have also shown recent interest in Collins, Charania said in an appearance on The Rally (Twitter video link).

3:06pm: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 disputes Charania’s claim that the Suns are a potential suitor for Collins, tweeting that Phoenix doesn’t have interest in the veteran forward.

Gambadoro adds (via Twitter) that the Suns and Kings had a discussion about Barnes over the summer, but with Sacramento playing well and Mike Brown a fan of the veteran forward, the Kings don’t intend to move Barnes.

10:09am: Hawks big man John Collins, who has been the subject of trade rumors multiple times in recent years, is considered available once again this season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

According to Charania, the Hawks have opened “preliminary” trade talks involving Collins, with the Suns among the teams showing interest in the 25-year-old. Sources tell The Athletic that a Collins trade doesn’t appear imminent, and Charania cites executives who believe it could take weeks or months for the Hawks to find a deal they like — if they move him at all.

Collins was considered a trade candidate during the year leading up to his restricted free agency in 2021, but signed a five-year, $125MM contract to remain in Atlanta. That deal did little to quiet the trade rumors surrounding him though — those rumors popped up again at the 2022 trade deadline and during this past offseason, prompting Hawks general manager Landry Fields to tell reporters on Media Day in September that Collins was “still here for a reason.”

In 15 games so far this season, Collins has struggled to produce consistently. His average of 12.6 points per game is his lowest since his rookie year, and his .493 FG% is a career-worst mark, as is his .227 3PT%. Still, given his track record, the power forward should bounce back and will be an intriguing trade target for any team looking to acquire an impact frontcourt player.

As Charania notes, the Hawks have been one of the primary suitors for Suns forward Jae Crowder and have been engaged with Phoenix in trade talks in recent weeks, so it’s plausible the two teams could come together for a bigger deal involving both Crowder and Collins.

In order to match Collins’ salary, Phoenix would have to include at least one more mid-level type contract besides Crowder’s expiring deal. Dario Saric ($9.24MM expiring contract) and Landry Shamet ($9.5MM in 2022/23, plus $21.25MM across two more guaranteed years) would be the top candidates.

However, the Suns may be averse to the idea of taking on Collins’ long-term contract, according to Charania. He’s owed $23.5MM in 2022/23 and nearly $52MM in the following two seasons, with a $26.6MM player option for ’25/26. With the Suns facing a possible ownership change, it’s unclear how comfortable they are adding more big long-term financial commitments to their books.

In addition to Collins, the Suns have expressed interests in forwards such as Harrison Barnes of the Kings, Kyle Kuzma of the Wizards, and Kenyon Martin Jr. of the Rockets, sources tell Charania. Phoenix has also reportedly engaged in Crowder-related trade talks with the Bucks, with one report suggesting Milwaukee is the frontrunner to land the veteran forward.

Wizards Notes: Kuzma, Hachimura, Beal, Porzingis, Goodwin

November 11th, 2022 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Wizards played perhaps their best game of the season on Thursday night vs. Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, winning 113-105 despite missing stars Bradley Beal (health and safety protocols) and Kristaps Porzingis (left groin strain).

The team’s success on offense could largely be attributed to Kyle Kuzma, who was the go-to scoring and play-making option with Beal and Porzingis unavailable. Kuzma led all scorers with 36 points on 14-of-26 shooting and also grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out six assists, playing a role similar to the one Doncic has in Dallas. Kuzma said after the game that he enjoys being a primary ball-handler, though he doesn’t feel the need to match Doncic’s league-high 39.1% usage rate.

“No question I would love to do that, 100%,” Kuzma said, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “I love challenges. Maybe not (39.1%), that’s a little aggressive. I don’t think you can win NBA championships of that nature with that. That’s a lot. But I have that type of ability to where I can make others better, I can score, I can do a lot of different things.”

With a $13MM player option for 2023/24, Kuzma has the ability to become an unrestricted free agent in July, so this is a big year for him. He said on Thursday that he’s trying not to think about that, however.

“I just try to live in the moment. I mean, it’s cliche but I’ve done a lot of soul-searching this summer and I do a lot of meditating and whatever is for me in life is for me. It’s going to come eventually. I’m not tripping,” Kuzma said. “… Money, basketball, the success; it’s going to come. I think I learned that my first go-around with my first contract and I’m just in the moment and I’m just hooping.”

Here’s more on the Wizards:

Besides Kuzma, Rui Hachimura was also a standout in Thursday’s win, racking up 23 points and playing good defense. As Josh Robbins of The Athletic notes, both Kuzma and Hachimura will be eligible for free agency next summer, raising the question of whether the team will retain both forwards or ultimately have to choose between one or the other. Kuzma could be a popular trade target this season for teams in need of frontcourt scoring, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets.
Beal and Porzingis are both considered day-to-day, according to Ava Wallace of The Washington Post, who notes that Beal first tested positive for COVID-19 and that head coach Wes Unseld Jr. said the guard’s symptoms have subsided “quite a bit.”
Promoted from an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal at the end of the preseason, guard Jordan Goodwin is making an impact for the Wizards in the early part of the 2022/23 season. He scored a career-high 17 points on Monday and has been at least a plus-10 and has registered five or more assists in each of the last three games. Wallace at The Washington Post and Robbins at The Athletic both took a closer look this week at what Goodwin is bringing to the team.

Wizards Notes: Kuzma, Avdija, Defense, Chemistry

October 23rd, 2022 at 10:24pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Wizards power forward Kyle Kuzma recently discussed his new role as Washington’s leading scorer (for now), per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.

“Never did it (with the Lakers),” Kuzma said of serving as a primary offensive option. “Obviously, we had great players so that wasn’t my calling. But I have that ability. I can get a rebound and push, I can orchestrate things. I have a high enough IQ to understand who needs the ball in situations and what we kind of need.”

Through his first three games this year, Kuzma is averaging a career-high 19.7 PPG, on .465/.400/.688 shooting splits. He is also pulling down 7.0 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.3 BPG.

There’s more out of D.C.:

Newly-anointed Wizards starting small forward Deni Avdija is reveling in his fresh opportunity among the club’s first five, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. “It just shows coach and the organization trust in me,” Avidja said. “They chose that they believe in me and they think that I deserve to be a starter and create and get some of the pressure off the other guys in the starting five. I feel like I’m kind of the glue guy in the starting five,” Avdija said. “I’m trying to make the right play. I’m playing defense, I’m rebounding. I’m trying to do everything I can to help the team and get pressure off from a couple of players that you could say are ball dominant more.”
Wizards head coach Wes Unseld Jr. anticipates Washington will continually honor the best defensive player of each individual game throughout the regular season, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Unseld and his assistant coaches are hoping that incentivizing solid defense in this manner will help improve the club’s overall performance on that end of the hardwood. “I think a lot of times players in any sport are kind of assigned accolades with your offensive performances,” Unseld said. “In football, certain colleges do it. We just thought of it as a gimmick in nature but (also) something our guys can kind of buy into. They can lean into it, because it’s a real belt.”
The 2022/23 Wizards are getting along swimmingly, which was not the case last season, according to Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. “I mean, we’re all just playing the right way,” Kuzma said of the team’s improved chemistry this year. “We have a veteran team, we have a team where we all like each other, and I mean that’s the biggest thing. We can tell we all like each other.” Center Daniel Gafford feels similarly. “The key point is the relationships and stuff are wanted more,” Gafford said. “Everybody’s not seeking individual goals; it’s a full-out team goal. We all want to win. We all want to play in the postseason, and that takes being together and playing as a unit. Being there for each other and taking constructive criticism. If somebody gets on your tail, you take that and use it to be able to progress in the game.”

Wizards Notes: Avdija, Kuzma, Porzingis, Carey

October 14th, 2022 at 4:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Wizards forward Deni Avdija, who has been dealing with a left groin strain this fall, played 5-on-5 on Thursday for the first time since training camp began, tweets Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. As Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington writes, Avdija told reporters earlier this week that he was taking painkillers to deal with the injury while playing for the Israeli national team in August and September.

“It was just something that popped up this summer. I played on pills with the national team to kill the pain,” Avdija said. “At the end of the (EuroLeague tournament), I was barely walking. So, I knew coming into the season, it was kind of frustrating for me after the good summer that I had, taking some backsteps, but it is what it is. I’m here now.”

As Avdija goes through the ramp-up process and attempts to work his way back into game shape, here are a few more notes on the Wizards:

In another story for NBC Sports Washington, Hughes takes a closer look at the Kyle Kuzma‘s role for 2022/23 as the veteran forward adjusts to playing alongside Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. While it may take some time to establish chemistry, Kuzma’s wide-ranging skill set should help him coexist with Washington’s stars, says Hughes.
Porzingis (ankle) will sit out the Wizards’ preseason finale on Friday, but his absence is considered precautionary and he expects to be ready to go for next week’s regular season opener, tweets Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Wizards big man Vernon Carey entered the NBA’s concussion protocol on Thursday after being involved in a minor traffic accident, the team announced (via Twitter). Carey is considered day-to-day.
John Hollinger of The Athletic thinks the Wizards are capable of finishing with a top-10 offense this season, but will struggle on defense due to a “glaring lack of perimeter stoppers.” He projects a 38-44 record and the No. 11 seed in the East.

Wizards Notes: Porzingis, Davis, Avdija, Kuzma

September 24th, 2022 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

Kristaps Porzingis has a new look as he starts his first training camp with the Wizards, writes Ava Wallace of The Washington Post. The veteran big man lost seven pounds during the offseason in an effort to become more mobile and more durable. Injuries limited him to 51 games last season, and he hasn’t played in more than 57 since tearing his ACL in 2018.

Coach Wes Unseld Jr. said Porzingis will begin the season without the restrictions he had after being acquired from Dallas at the trade deadline. That means no more cap on his minutes and no more holding him out of back-to-back games. Porzingis believes he can return to elite status if he stays healthy, and he cited an ESPN story ranking him as the 86th-best player in the league as a sign of disrespect.

“Especially this year, I’m coming in with a chip on my shoulder because of the ESPN rank, the this, that, it’s kind of — okay,” he said. “I use it as gasoline, as energy. I’m looking forward to reminding everybody what I can do on both ends of the floor.”

There’s more from Washington, D.C.:

Johnny Davis is eager to bounce back from a disappointing Summer League performance, according to Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington. The 10th pick in this year’s draft is expected to contend for playing time with the team’s second unit. He suffered a minor back injury in Las Vegas, but team president Tommy Sheppard confirmed this week that Davis is 100% heading into camp. “He got back into the lab and got healthy,” Sheppard said. “He struggled a little bit at the Summer League with some back stuff. When the players got together in L.A., I think everybody saw what we saw all season from him as a player in college.”
Second-year forward Deni Avdija is dealing with a groin injury he suffered while playing for Israel this summer, Hughes adds in a separate story. “I feel like the doctors and the trainers will do the best they can to get me healthy as fast as possible and get me on the court,” said Avdija, who considers the injury to be minor. “But for now, I trust them and I trust the organization. We’ll see.”
In another piece, Hughes notes that the Wizards’ offseason moves including trading for Kyle Kuzma‘s childhood friend, Monte Morris, and signing his former college teammate, Delon Wright.