Getty Brook Lopez
After their season ended in the first round for the second consecutive season, the Milwaukee Bucks must think about what’s best for the team going forward. They have limited ways to improve the roster via trade, but if they want to go all the way in, one option would be Kyle Kuzma.
Ti Windish and Rohan Katti outlined the following trade that would send the Washington Wizards wing to the Bucks
Bucks receive: Kuzma
Wizards receive: Brook Lopez
Katti explained why Kuzma would be useful on a team like the Bucks.
“Kyle Kuzma would be a dynamic player and dynamic fit next to a guy like Giannis and be there for Dame,” Katti said. “(To) have that secondary and tertiary scoring when one of those guys is on the bench and just being able to put that really dynamic scorer in that mix, and relieve some of the pressure of the guys like Giannis, Dame, and Khris.”
Trading Lopez would move Antetokounmpo to play center full-time. That’s something he’s done on occasion but not something he’s played every minute he takes the floor. It also might take more than Lopez alone to acquire Kuzma knowing his reputation.
Kuzma will enter the second year of a four-year, $90 million contract. He won a title with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020 and has been averaging over 20 points a game for the last two seasons.
Kyle Kuzma Rejected Mavericks Trade
Kuzma could have been traded during the 2023-24 season. He admitted that the Dallas Mavericks had a deal in place to get him, but the deal fell through. He explained why he stayed with the Wizards.
“There was a point in time, Dallas, they definitely did want me,” Kuzma told Robbins in a February 13 story. “(Michael) Winger presented me with what the trade was and obviously didn’t want to trade me and kind of left the decision up to me a little bit and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to stay and continue to build something. And that was kind of the end of it.”
Kuzma also explained why he didn’t want to join the Mavericks.
“In my career, I won a championship. So, I understand that when we play this game of basketball it’s not about contending for a playoff spot. It’s about contending for an NBA championship. There’s only like three or four contenders — true contenders. I just felt like our timelines didn’t line up.”
Kuzma’s words come off as ironic in hindsight, knowing where the Mavericks are now. However, if joining a contender is what he wants, the Bucks fit the profile despite their lack of recent playoff success.
Kyle Kuzma & Brook Lopez Played Together Once
Kuzma and Lopez once played together on the Lakers during the 2017-19 season. The Lakers acquired Lopez in a salary dump to open up cap room for LeBron James.
The following offseason, Lopez joined the Bucks, helping them win a title in 2021. Kuzma, on the other hand, helped the Lakers win a title the year before in 2020.
Both make $23 million for the 2024-25 season, so a trade is feasible despite the Bucks crossing the NBA’s second tax apron.