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The Golden State Warriors seek a major shakeup at the trade deadline to salvage this season.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz proposed a trade idea to land the Warriors Washington Wizards star Kyle Kuzma.
“These two front offices already orchestrated the Chris Paul–Jordan Poole swap, and could use Paul’s expiring contract (by finding a third team) as a way to bring Kuzma in now. Washington should have strong interest in players like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis as well,” Swartz wrote.
The Wizards cannot re-acquire Paul until after the end of the season, so a third team must absorb Paul’s expiring contract.
Kuzma signed a $102 million, four-year extension with the Wizards last offseason. Flipping Paul for Kuzma with more guaranteed money beyond this season will mean less money on the table they could offer Klay Thompson. But Kuzma, who is five years younger than Thompson, could also serve as insurance in case Thompson signs with another team for more money.
But in the short term, Kuzma “would help jump-start what’s become a lethargic offense, giving the Warriors a secondary scoring option behind Stephen Curry,” according to Swartz.
The 28-year-old Kuzma is averaging 21.8 points and 4.3 assists, both career highs, with 6.4 rebounds per game this season. He has also improved as a 3-point shooter, hitting at least 2.4 3s per game over the past two seasons.
“Adding Kuzma to a core of Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and others would help push the Warriors back into the playoffs and keep the dynasty alive,” Swartz wrote.
Wizards ‘Reticent’ to trade Kyle Kuzma
While Kuzma does not fit the Wizards’ timeline, the franchise is not actively shopping him around, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“Washington has been very reticent with Kyle Kuzma,” Wojnarowski reported on his podcast. “If you want to register an offer for Kuzma fine… But they’re (Wizards) not at the point where it seems like they’re active in trying to move him.”
Kuzma, who was the third-best player in the Los Angeles Lakers championship team in 2020, would command a hefty price in the trade market.
“Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has drawn exploratory trade interest from several teams around the league, league sources told HoopsHype, and that interest could intensify with teams missing out on Pascal Siakam,” Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto wrote on January 18. “Following reports that Washington wants two first-round picks to potentially part with Kuzma, there is further clarity and caveats to that. The Wizards would need future first-round picks beyond the 2024 draft with the potential to become lottery picks to consider parting with their best player, league sources told HoopsHype.”
Warriors to Honor Late Assistant Coach Dejan Milojević With Jersey Patch
The Warriors will resume their season this Wednesday, January 24, against the Atlanta Hawks after the untimely passing of assistant coach Dejan Milojević last week.
They plan to honor him with a jersey patch bearing his initials “DM” for the rest of the season, the team announced on January 23.
An identical logo on the court at the Chase Center will also be displayed.
Milojević, 46, died due to heart attack.
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