NBA Mock Trade: Kyle Kuzma Lands With Mavericks as Bucks Commit to Giannis

Kyle Kuzma is on the hot seat in Milwaukee. The veteran power forward is coming off a down year in 2024-25 and the Bucks have been moderately shopping him. His cap hit is $22 million and the Bucks may very well be looking to move on with better, younger role players. However, this is not to say anyone will not show interest in a fair trade package.

Trade Details & Fantasy Basketball Impact

Mavericks Receive: Kyle Kuzma

Bucks Receive: PJ Washington, Naji Marshall

Kyle Kuzma likely has slight decrease in fantasy value solely due to lower minutes. I would expect that he may actually be more efficient in these minutes as he well play with, and against bench players. If he could close in on 25 minutes per game, I think that could match his output of 30+ minutes at a Buck.

PJ Washington and Naji Marshall are still mostly unuseable in fantasy basketball. If PJ were to thrive as a majority minutes player, he could provide bench value as a high-rebounder and moderate second/third option starting shooter.

Why the Mavericks Say Yes

The Mavericks have great scoring, but that will come greatly from their starting lineup. Kyrie-AD-Flagg will provide among the best NBA offenses, but they cannot play all 48 minutes. Someone must fill the minutes, and Kyle Kuzma can do just that.

Kuzma has been an above-average scoring forward in his NBA career. In 2022 through 2023, Kuzma averaged well over 20 points per game. This dropped to 14.8 last season, but this came will a slight minutes reduction and then trade to Milwaukee. Unique circumstances. He still maintains a career 45% shooting percentage and a veteran presence that came come in and mesh quickly. The Mavericks may be okay with making a lateral monetary move for more offensive scoring.

Why the Bucks Say Yes

The Bucks want to get rid of Kyle Kuzma. He is not an ideal fit for this Milwaukee team. Especially with Lillard gone, Giannis is going to be a massive usage player. He will run 1-5 and do it all. It is his show on the basketball court. What the Bucks need is a floor-spacer and third-pass shooter. In this trade, they get that for cheap, by their standards.

PJ Washington is by no means an all-world player, but he is a floor-spacing power forward. Washington grabbed 7.8 rebounds per game in 2024, but he also made 1.6 three-pointers on 4.2 attempts per game. PJ Washington is a great scheme fit for the Bucks offense.

Naji Marshall is also nothing special, but in a high-usage Giannis offense, he can also help spread the floor with occassional third-pass wing shooting. Marshall shot 61.1% from 2-point last year — elite for a small forward. Naji does not do much, but in low leverage situation he will also space the floor and score when asked upon.

Takeaways

The Mavericks get here a nice shooting veteran to mesh well with a contending team. Locker room politics come in a lot with these experienced teams, but Kuzma has been around it and knows how to make it work. He will sit behind Anthony David, Cooper Flagg and provide great bench scoring.

The Bucks get great floor-spacer that fit a Giannis dominated offense. They also shed a contract in Kuzma for short term value. The contracts they get back fill the price of Kuzma, but PJ Washington is an expiring contract and Marshall has only one more year after this one. They will fill short-term spacing needs and worry about the future later.