The NBA trade deadline is less than a week away, and there is no shortage of trade rumors as teams gauge their options and evaluate which potential deals would be best for them.
One of those rumors is the interest the Dallas Mavericks reportedly have in Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma. One thing that could hypothetically push them over the line as far as going after him is the fact that head coach Jason Kidd was an assistant under Frank Vogel on the Los Angeles Lakers when Kuzma won an NBA championship there during the 2019-20 season.
It has been thought that the Washington Wizards want two first-round draft picks for the 28-year-old forward. But according to The Athletic, that may not be true.
“League sources maintain Washington has been holding out for two first-round picks for Kuzma, though team sources indicate that is somewhat overblown,” wrote David Aldridge and Josh Robbins. “The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyle Kuzma, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards Updates
Kuzma could help the Mavs get to the next level, and not only in the ways the average fan may think. One NBA scout said that he would greatly aid a Mavs team that is lacking defensively and in terms of big forward depth.
“They play too small right now. Luka is often their tallest perimeter player at like 6-foot-7. Adding Lively has given them an interior presence, but that’s tiring for a team to play that small on the perimeter for a whole season. Even if they add a wing who isn’t a great defender, just simply getting bigger would help at this point. Jason [Kidd] coached him when he played his best defense at the NBA level during the Lakers’ title run in the bubble. Having that familiarity and trust helps, especially when adding a player at the deadline.”
Dallas currently has a 26-22 record and has lost seven of its last 11 games, and one reason for its recent slide is defense. Overall, it ranks 23rd in defensive rating, but in the last 11 games, it has been dead last in the league in that category.
None of the forwards in its rotation are taller than 6-foot-7. But Kuzma is a robust 6-foot-9 and 221 pounds, and while he will likely never make an All-Defensive team, he has improved his defense ever since winning that world title in L.A.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyle Kuzma, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards Updates
But his main talent is offense. He isn’t the most efficient player, especially from beyond the 3-point line, but he is shooting a respectable 45.7 percent from the field while averaging 22.0 points a game this season. With the Mavs, he could not only become their legitimate third scoring option but also take lots of pressure off Luka Doncic, as that scout elaborated on.
“Adding a wing big enough to play the four full time would give them a lot options to attack defenses when they are blitzing and loading up on Luka. They could add layers to their offense to give Luka a break, like running 4-5 ball screens. They could become harder to guard by having Kuzma be involved in double screener actions or even switch hunt screening for Luka. With how Kyrie [Irving] has missed games this season, all of that becomes more important to make Luka’s job easier.”
“Regardless, even having another wing threat to attack closeouts or make a play late in the shot clock when things break down would go a long way. They didn’t have that during their Conference Finals run and it became a problem against the [Golden State] Warriors. Kuzma can help with that.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kyle Kuzma, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards Updates
Even better, Kuzma is under contract for three more seasons, which means he could be a part of Dallas’ core moving forward for quite some time if it is willing to invest some draft capital in him.
