When Kyle Kuzma signed his present contract, he was a reserve for the then-defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Since then, he has grown right into a core participant for the Washington Wizards following a 2021 commerce. As such, his private circumstances have modified an awesome deal, and he’s desperate to see that mirrored in his checking account. In line with The Washington Publish’s Ava Wallace, Kuzma plans to decide out of the ultimate 12 months of his contract and turn into a free agent subsequent summer season.
The participant choice in Kuzma’s contract for subsequent season would pay him $13 million. Nevertheless, most count on his market worth to return in at round $20-25 million. He’s averaging career-highs in factors (21.4), minutes (35) and assists (3.6) this season after averaging a career-high 8.5 rebounds per recreation final season. Whereas he was handled largely as a 3-and-D function participant in Los Angeles, the Wizards have allowed him to develop his all-around recreation. He has thrived, and he’ll quickly be rewarded.
It is as much as the Wizards to resolve whether or not they’ll be the workforce to do the rewarding in Kuzma’s case. Bradley Beal is within the first 12 months of a five-year max contract. Kristaps Porzingis can also be enjoying underneath a max deal. Re-signing Kuzma would give the Wizards an much more costly roster, but their file is an unimpressive 11-18 proper now. That sort of efficiency hardly ever warrants aggressive expenditures.
As such, the Wizards might make Kuzma accessible on the commerce market earlier than February’s deadline and see what occurs. He would possible draw fairly a little bit of curiosity, as two-way forwards are extraordinarily uncommon and extremely fascinating within the postseason, when groups steadily play smaller. Any workforce buying and selling for the 6-foot-9 Kuzma would wish to take action with the understanding that he won’t be low-cost to retain, but when they’re prepared to pay him what he is price, they will get a participant who has confirmed each able to becoming in as a championship function participant and scaling up into a much bigger function when known as upon.