NBA Rumors: Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns amongst teams interested in Kyle Kuzma
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has garnered some interest from teams across the league as of late. With The Athletic's Shams Charania shedding more light on these rumors, he also revealed the potential for such a trade to happen.
The Washington Wizards may not be the most exciting team this season. However, they have seen a couple of bright sparks on their roster which may suggest promise for the future.
While Bradley Beal remains the primary superstar in the side, the team has seen Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma take huge strides in improving. Kuzma, who is a one-time champion with the LA Lakers, has been particularly impressive as of late. Having earned a reputation as a gunslinger early in his career, the youngster has once again looked like that player in Washington.
Kuzma has shown massive upside for the Wizards as an aggressive rebounder and tenacious defender. This aspect of improvement has also garnered some attention from rival teams regarding his availability in a trade.
Shams Charania mentioned that teams such as the Atlanta Hawks and the Phoenix Suns could be potential suitors for the Wizards forward. According to league sources:
"Several teams, such as the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns, have expressed trade interest in Kuzma. By the same token, the Wizards have shown interest in Hawks forward John Collins, and the sides seriously discussed a potential deal last offseason."
While the Hawks may be interested in swapping Kuzma for Collins, Charania added that Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard has no plans of trading the forward. With an emphasis on having Kuzma grow as a franchise cornerstone, Washington will hope to see continued development from the forward.
Sheppard also spoke to The Athletic regarding the franchise's views on Kuzma. He said:
"We’ve had great respect for Kyle since he’s been in the league. He had a great rookie season, being in the Rookie of the Year conversation, and then life changed when LeBron came. So when the trade happened, it allowed Kyle an opportunity to join our program, have a bigger role, start for us, and he has been outstanding."
Sheppard continued:
“Kyle has such a great personality and demeanor, and he has so much more room to grow in the future for us. We’re really excited for his future growth here.”
Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma: “As soon as I got traded, I was ready to be more.”
Kuzma goes one-on-one with @TheAthletic on his breakout season as 20 PPG scorer, Lakers exit, misconceptions, free agency landscape and much more: theathletic.com/3972499/2022/1…
The Washington Wizards shouldn't trade Kyle Kuzma
As things stand, the Washington Wizards have no intent of trading Kyle Kuzma and this may be for the betterment of the team itself. Considering that GM Tommy Sheppard expressed that the franchise views the forward as a future cornerstone, the Wizards would be better off staying the course.
Kuzma has improved immensely since joining Washington. While he enjoyed title success with the LA Lakers, the forward had to sacrifice cardinal elements of his game for the team. While this sounds negative, it facilitated his growth as a rebounder, playmaker and defender.
With these skills, Kuzma came to the Wizards in a position to be a scorer again. As a more complete player, he emerged as the star-caliber player he was made out to be early in his career.
While the Wizards are far from being title contenders, the team could benefit from Kuzma's sustained development. With Bradley Beal also placing immense faith in the core as it is, Washington would be better served by simply tracking the progress of their young stars.
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