Trade Rumor: Could Kyle Kuzma be the New King in Sacramento?
As the 2022-23 NBA season continues to roll along, we are starting to see who will be ready to make a playoff push this season. Some of these teams are a player or two away from making big noise the rest of the regular season. Where do those potential playoff teams get the players needed to make that next step? Two of the big answers would be Players in the last year of their contracts and players who are playing well in not-so-good situations. So where does Washington Wizards' young star Kyle Kuzma fit in either one of those situations? The answer to that would be both categories.
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At times this season, the Wizards have shown promise of being a potential playoff team, but for the last two weeks that has not been the case, and because of it the rumors have started to fly about Kyle Kuzma and if he will be in Washington long term. Multiple teams the Lakers, Suns, Spurs, Bulls, Knicks, and Cavs just to name a few are rumored to be in the mix for Kuzma’s 20 points and seven rebounds a game. There is one team I think can take a big leap with Kuzma’s services and that team is….the Sacramento Kings.
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The Kings are currently seventh in the Western Conference, but with the right player, they could make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. So how could the Kings get Kuzma? It almost happened last year when the Lakers tried to trade for Buddy Hield, who was with Sacramento at the time. The Lakers tried to trade Kuzma & Montrezl Harrell to the Kings for Hield, but it fell through. This could happen this time and it may not take much because Kuzma is only making $13 million a year.
Photo Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA Today
So here is the two trade that could be made. First option Washington would send Kuzma & Taj Gibson for Harrison Barnes and a future draft pick. With this trade, the Wizards would gain a solid veteran and former NBA champion that has a reasonable contract that won’t tie up the Wizards for a long time along with a draft pick that helps potentially rebuild the Wizards. The second option could be a trade that would Kevin Huerter and a future draft to Washington for Kuzma. Huerter is averaging 15.3 points per game and has started all 26 games he has played. This trade on gives Washington a young starter that is locked in for four years.
Who knows if Kuzma will get moved, but if he does it seems like he will have plenty of options. Continue to follow Inside the Wizards for your latest Wizards updates on the situation.
