The Washington Wizards acquired Kyle Kuzma from the Los Angeles Lakers this NBA offseason in the blockbuster Russell Westbrook deal. Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, and the No. 22 overall pick were sent to Washington, with Westbrook heading out west.
Kuzma has been under the microscope a lot in his NBA career. His game was nitpicked a lot during his tenure with the Lakers, especially the last few seasons. This season, he is looking for a clean slate.
The Utah product will have to earn his minutes with the Wizards this season. There will be a lot of competition for minutes at the forward spots, as Washington already had several players filling those positions before the blockbuster trade this offseason.
Their last two lottery picks, both No. 9 overall in 2019 and 2020, were used on forwards Rui Hachimura in 2019 and Deni Avdija in 2020. This year, with the 15th overall pick, Corey Kispert, another small forward, was selected. Isaiah Todd, the No. 31 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and another forward, was acquired in the Aaron Holiday.
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Davis Bertans is another holdover and has been the starting power forward. There is a ton of competition, especially if Daniel Gafford and Harrell receive some minutes at the four spot.
With so many forwards on the roster, Washington could look to balance things out eventually with a trade. If that happens, Kuzma is someone that teams could show interest in.
Here are three teams that should keep tabs on a potential Kuzma deal.