Before acquiring PJ Washington in a deal with the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks had another plan; they wanted to get Washington Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma. The only problem was that Kuzma didn’t want to go to Dallas.

Speaking with The Athletic earlier this week, Kuzma revealed that the Wizards had an offer from the Mavs for him and that Washington’s president, Michael Winger, was willing to accept it if Kuzma wanted to go. However, the 28-year-old player preferred to stay put, prompting Winger to rebuff Dallas’s interest.

“There was a point in time, Dallas, they definitely did want me,” Kuzma said. “Winger presented me with what the trade was and obviously didn’t want to trade me and kind of left the decision up to me a little bit and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to stay and continue to build something. And that was kind of the end of it.”

While Kuzma didn’t get a no-trade clause as part of the four-year, $102 million deal he signed with the Wizards in the summer, the franchise’s brass promised him that he’d have input if a trade opportunity presented itself. That was unless the offer they received was something that the team couldn’t afford to pass on.

Winger obviously felt that the Mavs’ offer wasn’t in the “can’t refuse” realm, prompting him to reach out to Kuzma and leave the decision up to him. And perhaps surprisingly, Kuzma decided he likes it more with the rebuilding Wizards than the contending Mavericks.

Kuzma has been playing arguably his best season since turning pro in 2023-24. He is averaging a career-high 21.8 points and 4.2 assists to go with 6.3 rebounds.

The post Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma Rejected a Trade to the Mavericks appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After spending the first four years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, forward Kyle Kuzma is heading to the capital to play for the Washington Wizards in the 2021-22 season. But it turns out that this wasn’t part of Kuzma’s plans early in the preseason as he was preparing for a stay in California.

Speaking on the No Chill With Gilbert Arenas podcast, Kuzma revealed that he was convinced the Lakers would trade him to the Sacramento Kings. The deal involved Buddy Hield heading in the opposite direction, and according to Kuzma, it was as good as done.

“I was kind of shocked, because I thought I was going to Sac,” said Kuzma. “Like the Sacramento deal with Buddy Hield, that was done. So I’m thinking in my head, like, ‘OK, Sac, 45-minute flight. That’s not bad. I can go to Napa.'”

The Lakers decided to pull the plug on the Kings agreement at the last moment and instead opted to include Kuzma in a trade that landed them All-Star guard Russell Westbrook from the Wizards. But it wasn’t like Kuzma was complaining.

“But then, out of nowhere, you’re going to Washington. I was super hyped because it’s a better situation,” he added. He then explained that he’s excited he’ll get to play with an All-NBA player like Bradley Beal.

Kyle Kuzma had a strong start of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, going from a late first-round pick out of Utah to one of the team’s key weapons on the offense in his rookie and sophomore year. But following the arrival of LeBron James and later Anthony Davis, Kuzma failed to carve a role for himself on the Lakers. His numbers started to drop to the point that he lost his starting place on the team and became dispensable.

Kuzma will now hope to resurrect his career with the Wizards, where he is expected to have a more expanded role and less competition.

The post Kyle Kuzma Was Convinced He’d Play for Kings Before Wizards Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers were linked in trade talks earlier this month, with the presumption that the talks centered on Serbian shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. However, it turns out that this is just half of the story. The reports now surfaced that Kings wanted to get Kyle Kuzma from the Lakers with the intention to send Nemanja Bjelica in the opposite direction.

In a recent piece, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Conner wrote that the Kings offered Bjelica alongside a draft pick for Kuzma, but ended up getting a counter offer. The Lakers were reportedly willing to part with Kuzma, but only if that meant Bogdanovic was part of the trade. Sacramento was unwilling to make such a deal, and trade talks broke down.

It’s easy to see why the Lakers passed on Bjelica. While the 31-year-old is a solid role player, averaging 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds off the bench this season, he isn’t a difference-maker and someone who can get the team closer to a championship.

Bogdanovic, on the other hand, is a 3-and-D guy who is a natural shooter and has the potential to excel as a sixth man on a championship team. The 27-year-old is averaging career-high 14.6 points per game while hitting .375 of his three-point shots.

Although Kuzma remains a Laker so far, he obviously isn’t considered untradeable as he once was. The young forward is having a down year this season, but he might still have enough value to land Lakers a proven veteran that would help them in the postseason.

The post Kings Reportedly Offered Lakers Nemanja Bjelica For Kyle Kuzma appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Before acquiring PJ Washington in a deal with the Charlotte Hornets at the trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks had another plan; they wanted to get Washington Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma. The only problem was that Kuzma didn’t want to go to Dallas.

Speaking with The Athletic earlier this week, Kuzma revealed that the Wizards had an offer from the Mavs for him and that Washington’s president, Michael Winger, was willing to accept it if Kuzma wanted to go. However, the 28-year-old player preferred to stay put, prompting Winger to rebuff Dallas’s interest.

“There was a point in time, Dallas, they definitely did want me,” Kuzma said. “Winger presented me with what the trade was and obviously didn’t want to trade me and kind of left the decision up to me a little bit and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to stay and continue to build something. And that was kind of the end of it.”

While Kuzma didn’t get a no-trade clause as part of the four-year, $102 million deal he signed with the Wizards in the summer, the franchise’s brass promised him that he’d have input if a trade opportunity presented itself. That was unless the offer they received was something that the team couldn’t afford to pass on.

Winger obviously felt that the Mavs’ offer wasn’t in the “can’t refuse” realm, prompting him to reach out to Kuzma and leave the decision up to him. And perhaps surprisingly, Kuzma decided he likes it more with the rebuilding Wizards than the contending Mavericks.

Kuzma has been playing arguably his best season since turning pro in 2023-24. He is averaging a career-high 21.8 points and 4.2 assists to go with 6.3 rebounds.

The post Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma Rejected a Trade to the Mavericks appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After spending the first four years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, forward Kyle Kuzma is heading to the capital to play for the Washington Wizards in the 2021-22 season. But it turns out that this wasn’t part of Kuzma’s plans early in the preseason as he was preparing for a stay in California.

Speaking on the No Chill With Gilbert Arenas podcast, Kuzma revealed that he was convinced the Lakers would trade him to the Sacramento Kings. The deal involved Buddy Hield heading in the opposite direction, and according to Kuzma, it was as good as done.

“I was kind of shocked, because I thought I was going to Sac,” said Kuzma. “Like the Sacramento deal with Buddy Hield, that was done. So I’m thinking in my head, like, ‘OK, Sac, 45-minute flight. That’s not bad. I can go to Napa.'”

The Lakers decided to pull the plug on the Kings agreement at the last moment and instead opted to include Kuzma in a trade that landed them All-Star guard Russell Westbrook from the Wizards. But it wasn’t like Kuzma was complaining.

“But then, out of nowhere, you’re going to Washington. I was super hyped because it’s a better situation,” he added. He then explained that he’s excited he’ll get to play with an All-NBA player like Bradley Beal.

Kyle Kuzma had a strong start of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, going from a late first-round pick out of Utah to one of the team’s key weapons on the offense in his rookie and sophomore year. But following the arrival of LeBron James and later Anthony Davis, Kuzma failed to carve a role for himself on the Lakers. His numbers started to drop to the point that he lost his starting place on the team and became dispensable.

Kuzma will now hope to resurrect his career with the Wizards, where he is expected to have a more expanded role and less competition.

The post Kyle Kuzma Was Convinced He’d Play for Kings Before Wizards Trade appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers were linked in trade talks earlier this month, with the presumption that the talks centered on Serbian shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. However, it turns out that this is just half of the story. The reports now surfaced that Kings wanted to get Kyle Kuzma from the Lakers with the intention to send Nemanja Bjelica in the opposite direction.

In a recent piece, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Conner wrote that the Kings offered Bjelica alongside a draft pick for Kuzma, but ended up getting a counter offer. The Lakers were reportedly willing to part with Kuzma, but only if that meant Bogdanovic was part of the trade. Sacramento was unwilling to make such a deal, and trade talks broke down.

It’s easy to see why the Lakers passed on Bjelica. While the 31-year-old is a solid role player, averaging 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds off the bench this season, he isn’t a difference-maker and someone who can get the team closer to a championship.

Bogdanovic, on the other hand, is a 3-and-D guy who is a natural shooter and has the potential to excel as a sixth man on a championship team. The 27-year-old is averaging career-high 14.6 points per game while hitting .375 of his three-point shots.

Although Kuzma remains a Laker so far, he obviously isn’t considered untradeable as he once was. The young forward is having a down year this season, but he might still have enough value to land Lakers a proven veteran that would help them in the postseason.

The post Kings Reportedly Offered Lakers Nemanja Bjelica For Kyle Kuzma appeared first on SportzBonanza.