In the coming days, NBA trade rumors are going to start heating up. In under two weeks, players who signed contracts as free agents this offseason will be eligible to be included in trade packages, widening the pool of players to make deals with.
Just about a quarter of the way through the 2023-24 regular season, we can already see which teams will be buyers and sellers ahead of the deadline. One of the teams trending toward being sellers is the Washington Wizards.
The Wizards are tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the second-worst record in the NBA at 3-16; only the 2-18 Detroit Pistons, riding a 17-game losing streak, are worse currently. After trading Bradley Beal this offseason, Washington is a team that could look to continue tearing things down ahead of the deadline in February.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks Updates
One of the players who could be on the move is Kyle Kuzma, who signed a four-year, $90 million contract with the team this offseason. Now that he has gotten paid, could he be looking to get traded to a team that has a better chance of competing in the near future?
On Tuesday, Kuzma may have spurred some of the trade talk surrounding himself. During a Q&A held on X, formerly known as Twitter, he fielded different questions. One pertained to the Dallas Mavericks and what Kuzma thought about their chances of competing.
“[One] player away,” Kuzma replied. “[Dereck] Lively will be good too.”
Could Kuzma be referencing himself as the one player the Mavericks are away from contending? Dallas was one of the teams connected to him this past summer before he re-upped with the Wizards on a new contract.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks Updates
Kuzma cannot be traded until January 15th and the Wizards have given no indication that they want to move on from him. However, he would be a solid fit for the team given the versatility that he would bring to the roster.
Standing 6’9”, he has the size to play both forward spots and would provide the team with a scoring punch they are currently lacking in the frontcourt. Averaging a career-high 23.6 points and 4.6 assists per game, to go along with 6.1 rebounds, Kuzma would give the Mavericks a legitimate third option behind Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to help carry the scoring load.
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