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.
