Kings eyeing former NBA champion scorer to pair with DeMar DeRozan?
Dec 7, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of the Sacramento Kings logo and basketball before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Kings at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
The Sacramento Kings may really be going for it this offseason.
Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein said this week on Substack that the Kings continue to come up as a potential trade suitor for Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma. This is the case even after Sacramento swung a big deal for six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan over the weekend, Stein adds.
Kuzma, 28, remains a likely trade candidate for the rebuilding Wizards. A former champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Kuzma is a talented scorer who had a career year with 22.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season. While he still has three years left on his deal, Kuzma is owed a modest $65 million in total and even has his contract slightly frontloaded, creating some protection for a prospective buyer.
The Kings have been linked to Kuzma in trade rumors for years now and once even came very close to actually landing him. He makes sense next to DeRozan, De’Aaron Fox, and Domantas Sabonis as a bigger forward at 6-foot-9 who can splash threes in a lower-usage role if needed (which is what Kuzma used to do as a member of the Lakers). With several other assets left to trade as well (including Kevin Huerter, Keon Ellis, new lottery pick Devin Carter, and others), Sacramento could be in position for a truly all-time summer in their franchise’s history.
