The journalist from The AthleticIt has been reported by Shams Charania that several teams have recently expressed interest in Washington Wizards player Kyle Kuzma. However, the gerente general of the Wizards, Tommy Sheppard, considers him a cornerstone of the future of the franchise, so, for now, they are not willing to part with him.
Among the teams that have inquired about the forward are the Phoenix Suns and the Atlanta Haws. In fact, Charania points out that the Hawks and Wizards negotiated a possible trade for parts during the offseason that would also have included John Collins.
However, Sheppard indicated that he is committed to keeping Kuzma, who has joined Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in what is being the trio’s first full season together. Kuzma is averaging a career-high 20.6 points per game and appears to have reached his best level since he was acquired from Los Angeles in the summer of 2021.
“We have great respect for Kyle since he’s been in this league,” the executive said. “He had a great rookie season, he was in the Rookie of the Year conversation and then life changed when LeBron came along. So when the trade happened, Kuzma got a chance to have a bigger role with us. And he has been outstanding. Kyle has a great personality and attitude. He has a lot of time ahead of him to grow in the future with us. We are very excited about his growth here. »
Kuzma will almost certainly decline his $13 million player option for next season, leaving him in free agency. The first information indicates that his new contract could be around 20-25 million in his first year, so the Wizards will have to dig deep if they want the forward to continue to be part of their future.
(Cover photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
