Jazz Acquire Kyle Kuzma From Wizards in Compelling NBA Mock Trade
Considering NBA trade season is upon us with the deadline approaching closer and closer by the day, it opens up the perfect opportunity to put together some hypothetical trades leading up to the February 8th cutoff. As always, the Utah Jazz remain a prime suspect in making a move when taking the several assets they have on their roster and draft picks into account.
One of the recently mentioned candidates for a change in scenery is Washington Wizards’ forward Kyle Kuzma. After signing a four-year, $90 million contract this past summer, ClutchPoints now reports that the team would be willing to part ways with the seven-year NBA vet in return for multiple first-round picks.
During 32 games played this season, Kuzma has averaged 23.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 46.6/35.7/76.8 splits. He presents a unique combination of scoring ability, size, and even NBA championship experience that could provide value to many teams across the league.
It raises the idea of the Jazz potentially being a team to facilitate such a trade. With their steep draft capital set across the next half-decade, Utah could afford to part ways with a fraction of their total picks to round out their frontcourt rotation under a long-term, team-friendly deal.
Therefore, here’s a potential deal that can net the Jazz Kuzma from the Wizards in return for a package consisting of a couple of players and picks:
Utah Jazz acquire:
Kyle Kuzma, Mike Muscala
Washington Wizards acquire:
John Collins, Talen Horton-Tucker, 2025 first-round pick (via MIN), 2029 first-round pick (via MIN, prot. 1-5)
In this deal, the Jazz ship off their offseason acquisition of John Collins paired with expiring contract Talen Horton-Tucker, along with two firsts, to secure the services of Kuzma. Utah also adds to their big-man rotation by adding Mike Muscala into the mix.
We saw Collins enter trade discussions in December, with reports of Utah being frustrated with JC’s effort on both ends of the floor. If those rumors are true, this move could effectively shed his bulky contract and add a well-rounded forward to Will Hardy’s rotation.
In Collins’s 30 games during 2023-24, he’s put up a nightly average of 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists. By making a Collins-for-Kuzma swap, Utah would bring in the better playmaker, shot creator, and more versatile player to their roster. It sounds like the type of guy the Jazz could utilize.
While forfeiting two first-round picks may be a hard pill to swallow for some, these two selections would likely be some of the lesser value of the bunch. Utah still hangs on to a large majority of their assets while bringing on a 20+ PPG scorer who can help win games now.
Kuzma’s trade value in 2024 still currently remains a bit foggy, so it’s hard to pinpoint the exact structure of what a realistic package would look like. A deal involving him couldn’t even happen until January 15th at the earliest.
However, if the Jazz were able to snag him for this type of price, Danny Ainge would have to at least consider acting upon it.
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