NBA Rumors: Kyle Kuzma Came 'Close' to Being Traded from Wizards to Mavs at Deadline

The Washington Wizards reportedly nearly traded forward Kyle Kuzma to the Dallas Mavericks ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline before deciding to hold on to him.

According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, the Wizards were "close" to accepting an offer for Kuzma, and it is believed the Mavs were the team that almost landed him. Robbins added that the Wizards wanted a "home run offer" and were asking for at least two first-round picks in exchange for Kuzma.

Per ESPN's Zach Lowe, the Mavericks offered a 2027 first-round pick as part of a deal for Kuzma, but when talks broke down, they used that pick, Grant Williams and Seth Curry to acquire forward P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets instead.

Kuzma, 28, was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Wizards in 2021, and this past offseason he signed a four-year, $90 million contract to remain in Washington.

It has been a nightmarish season for the Wiz, who have the NBA's second-worst record at 9-41, but Kuzma has been one of the few bright spots.

In 49 games, he is averaging a career-high 21.9 points and 4.2 assists to go along with 6.4 rebounds and 2.3 three-pointers made per contest. He is also shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from long range.

Given that the Wizards are not in line to be contenders any time soon, considering the idea of trading a veteran under contract for multiple years was understandable.

Kuzma also made a lot of sense as a target for the Mavericks, who were seemingly looking for more scoring to support the superstar backcourt of Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving.

The Mavs didn't find the third star they were in search of, but they were active at the deadline, acquiring Washington and completing a separate trade with the Wizards for center Daniel Gafford, who is under contract through 2025-26.

The Wizards made fewer moves than expected Friday, as the Gafford deal was their only trade, meaning impending free agents like Tyus Jones and Delon Wright could walk for no compensation during the offseason.

While it can be argued that hanging on to them was an error, the decision to keep Kuzma could yield greater returns down the road.

Lowe noted that contending teams will have the flexibility to potentially offer more first-round picks for Kuzma during the offseason than they could have during the 2023-24 campaign.

Kuzma should continue to hold value as a 20-point-per-game scorer, and it stands to reason that Washington will get the type of offer it was looking for during the offseason since it didn't settle for a lesser one at the deadline.