[Writing for the Athletic](https://theathletic.com/4657348/2023/06/30/wizards-kyle-kuzma?source=user-shared-article), Josh Robbins felt that the Kuzma trade reflected a front office that was unwilling to make necessary sacrifices to improve their draft odds
>For most rebuilds to work, executives have to be ruthless and position their teams to race to the bottom. In agreeing to re-sign Kuzma, the Wizards’ decision-makers may not have been ruthless enough.
I don’t fully agree, but Robbins is a smart basketball writer, and it’s interesting to see him openly disagree with the Wiz front office on a move that most people seem to agree with.
by logitaunt
15 Comments
If we’re actually trying to tank for picks, re-signing Kuzma was a bad play. Just let young players play instead.
The contract is reasonable, tradable, and desirable to a contending team. It’s a smart move. There are not many destinations for Kuz at the moment, so it makes perfect sense to re-sign our guy
In a year with a weak draft class, it doesn’t really matter if we’re 1st or 5th pick. This team still isn’t winning more than 25, and we had to hit 90% of the cap. He’s also a vet who likes it here and has a ring. No harm in keeping him.
If we get to January and it’s looking like we’re doing a little too much winning we’re gonna see Deni/Bilal/Kispert getting way more minutes so we don’t do too well. We still owe the Knicks that top 8 protected first next year, so we can’t be that good.
We’re signing now for a good price and we can still trade later. The contract isn’t a big deal tbh
I would’ve liked if the deal was shorter like 2 years 45-50 million instead of four. Regardless, don’t we have to spend more money under the new CBA? That’s what I figured when they gave Kuzma this deal.
There’s absolutely no way Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Poole, and Tyus Jones are leading us to more than 25 wins, if they even play the entire season in Wizards uniforms.
If we don’t pay Kuzma then who else are they gonna pay to hit the salary floor? I feel like it’s fine.
I don’t see it, if we somehow finish 36-46 or something it’ll be because some of our young guys broke out like Deni and Kispert alongside Kuz and Poole and WUJ took a leap as a coach. That would mean we’d be insanely fun, sneaky competitive, and it would be enjoyable basketball overall.
Like if Patrick Baldwin, Bilal, Vuck, Johnny, and Rollins all turn out to be serviceable/good nba guys that only needed a chance, that would be AMAZING lol.
Otherwise looking at our team objectively – playing at a median projection, no way we win like more than 25 games. Does Kuzma move the needle THAT much to the point where he’s the difference between 25 wins and 36 wins?
I see what he’s saying and maybe he’s right but I just don’t see this team winning many games. Like they won 35 last season and maybe you can say poole gives you somewhere around beal’s production and now kuz is back but there’s a gaping 7 foot 3 inch latvian hole on this team and no one is filling that. I don’t see 30 wins and they had the 8th pick this year so anything top 5 in a weakish draft would be great imo. Plus kuz is a very tradeable asset and seemingly very well liked around the league.
He’ll be traded within 2 years of it, Winger and Dawkins signing him long term and then turning him into a tradable asset is better than losing him outright. Kuz also probably saw how small the market was and figured getting paid slightly below his target to stay and getting moved later was the best course of action. Winger and Dawkins cleaning up another Tommy Sheppard mistake.
Are we sure there wasn’t a handshake deal to move Kuzma at the deadline?
Hmm, not a great take. It was a salary floor move for sure. Bigger question is how do minutes break down with Poole, kuz, JD, and Kispert. I like kuz a lot but it would stink to stunt the development of the latter two.
I agree with this. We’re not bad enough for lotto with him and Poole.
If the Wizards plan on trading Kuzma at the trade deadline or next summer, then I think it was a good re-signing. For what it’s worth, Winger traded Blake Griffin to the Pistons less than 6 months after re-signing him. This was during Winger’s time with the Clippers. With that being said, I doubt that Kuzma will be a Wizard the entire 4 years of his new contract.
He’s not thinking this through.
Number 1 things a rebuilding team needs is assets – So you just insured yourselves getting something for a guy that was gonna leave for free.
Number 2 is, for a team to really suck they need a young inexperienced bench – cause mid-season you’re either gonna capitalize on trades that present themselves from desperate teams, or you’re gonna start sitting players with ‘injuries’.
You understand that with Poole and Kuz sitting for example (Let alone if one of them is moved at the deadline) this team is Tyus, Bilal, Kispert, Deni, Gafford – and a bench from the G league?
There’s literally zero chance of this roster, assuming they kick out any positive vet production from the bench, will win enough games to be even the 6th or 7th pick – because when the going gets tough midway through the season, you can organically become the worst roster in the league.
All you need to do is make everyone understand you’re an active player in absorbing contracts and look towards midseason to look for teams that need that final piece to make a run and capitalize on it quickly to gain more picks or young assets.
we have to use 90% of salary cap, we cant just sign 15 bums