Kyle Kuzma re-signs with Wizards
Kyle Kuzma re-signs with Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Kyle Kuzma's four-year, $102 million contract to re-sign with the Washington Wizards is now official, as the NBA's free agent moratorium passed on Thursday afternoon. That cements Kuzma's return to Washington where he has played the last two seasons and enjoyed a career year in 2022-23.
Kuzma, 27, averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season while shooting 44.8% from the field and 33.3% from three. After posting those numbers, with career-highs in points and assists, he opted out of the final year of his previous contract to sign a new one with Washington.
The Wizards acquired Kuzma in a 2021 trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was part of a core three with Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, but after those two were traded, Kuzma is the last one remaining on the roster.
Kuzma will now team up with Jordan Poole, whom the Wizards landed in a trade with the Warriors, to form a new group of veteran leaders on a roster that is getting younger as the team transitions under a revamped front office. Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins have made substantial changes already, but decided to keep Kuzma.
There may be a few reasons why they went that route. One is that Kuzma is an ascending player. He took a step forward in the 2021-22 season, his first in Washington, and then made another leap in 2022-23. He will turn 28 later this month and could have many years left in his prime. It's possible he hasn't reached his peak as an NBA player.
Kuzma also brings a level of experience and plays a style that is arguably conducive to just about any overarching plan for the team. If the Wizards decide to lean into a rebuild, he is a willing passer who plays within the rhythm of the offense and a reliable defender who gives consistent effort on that end of the floor.
Kuzma has experience playing for a rebuilding team early in his career and then later a championship team led by future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He can provide guidance to young players the Wizards bring into their program, just as he has for guys like Deni Avdija in recent years.
If the team becomes competitive sooner than later, Kuzma can be an integral piece of a contender. He's proven that before during his days with the Lakers and has only gotten better since.
Re-signing Kuzma also retains a good player on the Wizards' roster when one of the alternatives would have been to lose him in free agency with nothing in return. His $25.5 million average annual value also maintains some flexibility for the Wizards, as it would have ranked 59th among NBA players last season and will continue to be surpassed by new deals handed out in the coming years, especially as the salary cap goes up.
Kuzma has spoken extensively about prioritizing his personal growth as a basketball player above other interests. He clearly found a good situation for that in Washington given his progress over the last two seasons.
In staying in D.C., Kuzma appears to have a runway to continue that trajectory as he will go from being the third scoring option to likely being one of their top-two scorers alongside Poole. While few plays were called for Kuzma in previous years when he was on the court with Beal and Porzingis, that could soon change.
Kuzma coming back to the Wizards also ensures some entertainment value for the new-look roster. Kuzma has a knack for making big shots and, of course, turning heads with what he wears before games.
It's a new chapter for the Wizards, but there will be at least one notable mainstay. Kuzma is back.
