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The Golden State Warriors are among the several NBA teams, who have been monitoring the situation of the Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto reported.
“The Sacramento Kings have also been linked to Kuzma for the past two seasons. Other teams who’ve kept tabs on Kuzma include the Bucks, Warriors, Lakers, Heat, and Cavaliers, HoopsHype has learned,” Scotto wrote.
Kuzma has one of the team-friendliest contracts in the NBA. He is currently in the second year of a four-year, $90 million contract. His salary descends every year, with only $19.4 million guaranteed money during the 2026-27 season.
Kuzma is coming off his best individual season in the NBA for one of the league’s worst teams. Last season, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged a career-high 22.2 points per game on top of 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He’s off to a slow start this season, averaging only 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists as the Wizards are prioritizing the development of their young players.
Kuzma’s 27.5-minute playing time is his lowest since he joined the Wizards via the Russell Westbrook trade in 2021.
He was the third-best player in the Los Angeles Lakers championship team in 2020 and the best player for the Wizards last season.
The shortened playing time is a clear signal that his time in the nation’s capital may be ending at the trade deadline.
Kuzma is currently out with a left rib sprain.
The Warriors have a combination of young players and draft picks at their disposal to improve Stephen Curry‘s supporting cast, which has been flailing lately.
The Warriors have lost their last four games, prompting questions about Steve Kerr’s expanded 12-man rotation, which is an unusual strategy in today’s NBA.
Stephen Curry Not a Fan of the 12-Man Rotation
Curry addressed the pestering question about the Warriors’ expanded rotation following his return in the team’s 1113-105 loss to the Phoenix Suns on November 30.
“When you’re winning, it’s fun,” Curry told reporters about the pestering question about the sustainability of their expanded rotation. “When you’re not, questions pop up.”
Curry made it clear he wanted the Warriors’ rotation shortened and rallied everyone to make sacrifices for the team.
“It’s hard for everybody,” Curry told reporters. “Coach’s job is to make those tough decisions. It’s our job to help him. If you’re not playing, don’t pout; don’t bring the locker room down. It doesn’t help anybody. Including yourself.”
Curry ultimately suggested cutting the Warriors’ rotation to 10-11 deep.
“Do we need to shorten it?” Curry said. “We probably need to be more predictable on a night-to-night basis so guys can get a little bit of a rhythm. Is that shortening it to one or two guys? Maybe.”
Moses Moody in Steve Kerr’s Doghouse
Moses Moody‘s tenure with the Warriors is full of ups and downs.
And it didn’t change even after he signed a multi-year extension in the offseason.
Moody went scoreless and only played a total of 16 minutes over the last two games following his postgame comments about his playing time.
“That’s not a luxury I’ve had through my career, so I’ve kind of had to figure out how to play — whatever happens, whatever the opportunity is,” Moody told reporters following their 128-120 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on November 25. “I kind of just deal with whatever it is. I don’t necessarily look for outside things, as in playing time, rotation, or whatever it is. When I get the opportunity, I take the shots that I get. I take the driving lanes that I get and just play.”
Two-way player Pat Spencer played more than Moody against the Suns.
Is Moody being punished for his subtle shot at Kerr?
The Warriors four-time champion coach acknowledged the difficult situation of the likes of Moody as he’s having a hard time spreading playing time to an expanded rotation.
“As soon as you lose, you’re going to have guys that are pissed off,” Kerr told reporters. “I’ve been in their shoes. I used to be pissed off at my coach all the time when he didn’t play me. That was most of my career. This is how it is. It’s the NBA. It’s a competitive, vicious league. Four games ago, we were on top of the world. Everybody’s happy. Now we’ve lost four in a row. Everybody’s pissed.”
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