NBA Rumors: Kyle Kuzma could be inching closer to a moment in which he all but demands a trade away from the Washington Wizards.
Over the last few years, Kyle Kuzma's patience for the Washington Wizards has been admirable. Even when it was clear the team was probably going to head into a rebuild, Kuzma still elected to sign a four-year contract extension with the team. When he probably could've signed a similar contract elsewhere, Kuzma elected to remain committed, for better or worse, to the Wizards.
However, some of that patience could finally be wearing thin. As the Wizards continue to struggle as a team that is continuing to strip down the foundation of their team as they pivot toward a full-blown rebuild, Kuzma could be inching closer to the moment when he may prefer a trade out of Washington. According to Wizards reporter Josh Robbins, Kuzma is growing "less patient" with the team's direction. It could all lead toward a trade of the offensive-minded wing at some point between now and the offseason.
How likely is a Kyle Kuzma trade at the NBA Trade Deadline?
Even though in an ideal world it would probably benefit both the Wizards and Kuzma to find a resolution before the trade deadline, I'm not sure how realistic that is. There are less than two weeks before the trade deadline and Kuzma is not a name that has been mentioned consistently.
Add in the fact that Kuzma has had a pretty shaky year overall by his standards and this may not be the optimal time for the Wizards to trade him. In what could be considered a down season for him, Kuzma is averaging 15 points and six rebounds on 42 percent shooting from the field and 28 percent shooting from 3-point range.
A change of scenery could probably do Kuzma good at this point in his career but the asking price probably couldn't be fair value right now. And that could easily turn the Wizards away from possibly trading him ahead of the deadline. Nevertheless, this is certainly an interesting storyline to keep in mind over the next couple of weeks.
If there is a real push from Kuzma for a deal to come to fruition soon, perhaps there could be a path toward a deal before the deadline. At this point, the Wizards and Kuzma would probably both benefit from moving on from each other. I'm just not sure how plausible that is before the deadline, especially with much bigger names currently dominating the headlines.