Washington Wizards
Trade deadline candidate: Kyle Kuzma
The Washington Wizards may not have been ready for a full-blown rebuild, but it was somewhat forced upon them after Bradley Beal finally pushed the issue toward a trade. In the end, the Wizards traded Beal to the Phoenix Suns. Interestingly, instead of moving on from Kyle Kuzma in free agency, the Wizards decided to re-sign him to a $100 million deal. Even though they retained Kuzma, I have a hard time believing he’s a big part of their future.
Maybe the Wizards are unexpectedly better than expected this season. With Jordan Poole, Kuzma, and their young collection of draft picks they’ve made in recent years, they have the talent to be an intriguing team in the Eastern Conference. But if they’re not, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kuzma find himself knee-deep in trade rumors once again.
If the Wizards do need to make another move this season and if a trade of Kuzma makes sense, I don’t think they hesitate. That had to at least be part of the thinking when Washington re-signed Kuzma this past season.