Kyle Kuzma
He’s not quite a star, but Kuzma might be overlooked by folks who don’t watch the Wizards much (not that anyone would blame them). Kuzma’s Q rating isn’t helped by his Instagram exploits, the fact that he plays on the most unserious team in the league and his nickname, “Kuz.”
But this is a versatile forward who can score in bunches and has won a championship alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He can be part of a winning team if someone let him.
The Wizards nearly traded Kuzma to the Dallas Mavericks last February, presumably for the same package the landed P.J. Washington (Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a protected first-round pick).
The Wizards are going nowhere fast and there will be calls about Kuzma placed to the nation’s capital before this season’s deadline. The Heat could offer a package of Duncan Robinson, Josh Richardson and a future first – similar to what Washington (and reportedly also Kuzma) turned down last season. Lost in the Kuzma report is that he turned down a trade to Dallas because he didn’t view them as a championship contender.
“There’s only like three or four contenders — true contenders,” Kuzma told The Athletic. “I just felt like our timelines didn’t line up.”
Obviously, he was wrong. He might not make that mistake again.