As explored in our 2024 NBA Trade Deadline Preview here at HoopsHype, it makes sense for the Washington Wizards to trade veteran forward Kyle Kuzma between now and the deadline date of February 8. Right now, teams are after him. Yet the longer they leave it, the fewer suitors they will have.
It has already been an active month of January on the market, with fellow forwards OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam both dealt from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers respectively, and the Miami Heat already having made their move with the acquisition of Terry Rozier. With targets and assets running out, those teams still on the market seeking to buy frontcourt reinforcements might now focus on Kuzma, if they had not done so already.
If they do, they will quickly see that Kuzma is currently halfway through a career year. He has played and started in every game and is recording career-best averages of 21.8 points and 4.4 assists per game, alongside 6.5 rebounds. A career-high 30.6 percent usage percentage versus a career average of 24.3 percent is certainly a large part of it, yet Kuzma has retained his overall sufficiently efficient shooting metrics on this higher volume and combines a useful three-point stroke with dribble-drive possessions, cut-and-dive instincts, transition play, some post touches, and a good handle on the ball for his position. He is good and getting better.
By contrast, the Wizards are bad and not getting better. Not this season, certainly, nor any time soon based on their current construction. If it was not for the history-making badness of the Detroit Pistons – who they just lost to – the Wizards would be the worst team in the NBA, and with their ugly 7-37 record, they might yet still get to the bottom. The contrast between the player and the team is stark.