SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was the fist bump and pat on the back that will re-ignite one of the NBA’s most persistent trade rumors.
Just before the Washington Wizards and the Sacramento Kings tipped off their game here Sunday night, Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma jogged to a spectator who sat in the first row at midcourt. They bumped fists, exchanged smiles and patted each other on the back.
That interaction normally wouldn’t have raised eyebrows, but that was no ordinary fan. It was Vivek Ranadivé, the Kings’ owner and chairman. The NBA trade deadline looms on Feb. 6, just two and a half weeks away, and Ranadivé’s team has been said for years to have interest in Kuzma.
So, that greeting must be connected to a potential trade, right?
Probably not. As Kuzma explained to reporters after the Kings blew out the Wizards 123-100, he and Ranadivé recently invested in a new women’s professional sports venture called Major League Volleyball.
“Nothing basketball-related,” Kuzma said.
The speculation about Kuzma changing teams — whether to the Kings or elsewhere — will continue anyway, perhaps for good reason. With the Wizards in the early stages of a rebuild and interested in adding draft picks, Kuzma, a veteran who contributed to the Los Angeles Lakers’ run to the 2020 NBA title, ranks as one of the most logical potential trade candidates on Washington’s roster. At 29 years old and with two more full seasons remaining on his contract, his career timeline doesn’t seem to mesh with the Wizards’ intended return to relevance, which most likely is at least several years away.
Team officials have consistently said they value Kuzma, in part because his presence should, in theory, make the going a bit easier on offense for second-year swingman Bilal Coulibaly and rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George. When the Wizards need to generate a look at the basket, they can count on Kuzma to at least take some of the pressure off the youngsters.
This season, however, things haven’t gone as well as expected. The Wizards own a 6-35 record — by far the worst record in the NBA — and Kuzma is in the midst of his least productive and least fulfilling year with the franchise. Injuries have played a role, with Kuzma missing five games early on because of a groin strain and an entire month because of sprained rib cartilage.
But injuries haven’t been the only reason for Kuzma’s struggles. After spending the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as one of Washington’s top two offensive options, with extensive freedom to create opportunities for himself, Kuzma has found many of the touches that once were reserved for him now go to point guard Jordan Poole and to Coulibaly, among others.
“We’ve got more ballhandlers, we’ve got more decision makers, and that’s something that we want to develop,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “That’s going to help develop our roster, also, as we continue to get better and go where we want to go.”
For Kuzma, though, going from being a focal point in the offense to a less-featured player has been a bumpy transition. He has described himself as a “rhythm player,” and he has said the way he builds his rhythm is by having the basketball in his hands, with the freedom to create.
Interesting moment right before tipoff tonight in Sacramento.
Kyle Kuzma greets Kings owner Vivek Ranadive.
Kuzma has always been connected to Sacramento as some sort of potential trade/free agent target. pic.twitter.com/Wgta6q6MZL
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) January 20, 2025
On Sunday, Keefe opened the second quarter with Kuzma playing alongside Jared Butler, Justin Champagnie, George and Jonas Valančiūnas, a lineup that allowed Kuzma more leeway to create for himself. Keefe also kept Kuzma on the court for the entire third quarter, extending Kuzma’s stint beyond the exit times for Carrington, Coulibaly and Poole. All that freedom did not translate to success, however; Kuzma finished the game with 13 points on 3-of-15 shooting. It was a regression after a strong performance Saturday in which Kuzma scored 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting in a 122-114 loss at Golden State. In that sense, Kuzma’s weekend was emblematic of his season as a whole: He has struggled to remain consistent.
Which raises a critical question: How much will his recent inconsistency hinder his trade value to potential contenders?
Sacramento considered trading for Kuzma last year, league sources said, but the Kings’ coach at the time, Mike Brown, wasn’t interested in such a deal.
The Dallas Mavericks were interested in Kuzma before last season’s trade deadline — so interested that they made a concrete offer to the Wizards. Michael Winger, the president of Monumental Basketball, felt lukewarm about the terms of the deal, and, as The Athletic reported last February, Winger asked Kuzma if Kuzma wanted a trade. At that time, Kuzma said he wanted to remain with the Wizards. Winger called the Mavericks back and told them the deal was off the table.
So, what if a team makes an offer for Kuzma in the next two weeks, and what if Winger asks Kuzma again for his feedback? Will Kuzma again tell Winger he wants to remain with Washington?
Kuzma was posed that hypothetical Sunday night, after the loss to the Kings.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Kuzma responded. “I don’t know. I didn’t think last year was the right time (for a trade) after signing the deal (a four-year contract in 2023). That was kind of more of a last-year thing. I haven’t had conversations (with Wizards management). I haven’t even talked about the deadline, haven’t talked about being traded. So, this is really the first time I’m really talking about it.”
Kuzma understands the speculation about his future will continue.
“I don’t really look at it, honestly,” he said. “I mean, as players, you’re always in trade talks. I know I’ve been my entire career, and I’ve always been at a place where I’m valued at. So, yeah, that’s the best way I look at the trade deadline.”
Sunday’s game was his 500th career regular-season NBA game, a fact he didn’t know until a reporter told him after the defeat.
Not too shabby for someone who was the 27th pick in the 2017 draft.
“Five hundred games is a lot of games,” he said. “Coming from where I come from, I’m just lucky to keep playing basketball at this level for eight years. It’s a blessing, but I want to keep going as long as I can.”
And now, for the next two and a half weeks, the only question is, how much longer will he pile up games as a member of the Wizards?
— The Athletic’s David Aldridge contributed to this report.
(Photo of Kyle Kuzma: Ed Szczepanski / Imagn Images)
