After dealing with two of their best players this offseason, the Washington Wizards are keeping their third.
Now their direction is becoming less clear.
Kyle Kuzma agreed Deal worth $102 million for four years with The Wizards, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday. The deal follows deals in which Washington agreed to send Bradley Bell to Phoenix and Kristaps Porcingis to Boston.
Kuzma opted out of a $13 million contract for next season, then landed a much bigger deal when free agency kicked off Friday. He averaged 21.2 points per game in 2022-23, when Washington missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
“Capital, let’s turn the city over,” Kuzma said on his Instagram page on Friday night.
Most deals can’t be completed until July 6, so it may be a while before the Washington front office gets the hang of a series of moves that certainly reshaped the roster but ended up being nothing short of a complete breakup.
In the past two weeks, the therapists have agreed to:
– trading transaction To the Sun, with Chris Paul and Landry Shamet coming to Washington, and then Dealing with Paul to Golden State in a deal that brought Jordan Paul to the Wizards.
Porzingis’ trade to Boston Three-team deal in which The Wizards acquired Tyus Jones, Danilo Gallinari, and Mike Muscala.
Maintaining the Kuzma deal for four years.
– Monty Morris Trading Detroit for a future second-round selection.
The Wizards have not advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs since 1979, one year after their only NBA title. They’ve had a handful of postseason appearances recently with the likes of John Wall, Russell Westbrook, and Bell, but after consecutive 35-win seasons, Washington brought in Michael Winger as the team’s new president, replacing general manager Tommy Sheppard. .
Despite having plenty of mediocrity in Washington, the Wizards haven’t won fewer than 25 games in a full 82-game season since 2011. Thus, they didn’t pick all that near the top of the draft. Washington traded a place this year for detention Bilal Coulibaly, 18 years old In seventh place – a move that also seemed to indicate that the magicians were focusing on the long haul.
But if getting rid of Beal and Porzingis sounds like the beginning of a complete rebuild, keeping Kuzma — and even taking over Poole, who is about to start a four-year, $128 million deal — sends a mixed message.
To be fair, it also means that Washington’s potential rotation next season is worth a second look. Five starters from Jones, Paul, Kuzma, Denny Avega and Daniel Gafford could be fun if nothing else — and the Wizards also have Corey Kisbert, who shot 42% from 3-point range last season. There are some upsides now, at least on the offensive end.
If all of this means another 35-win season, it’s debatable whether Washington made any real headway, but 27-year-old Kuzma certainly got his big contract, and maybe Paul can capitalize on a fresh start after a tough postseason. with warriors. There are sure to be more moves to come as Winger and his front desk try to shape the roster to their liking.
The Wizards have already made a lot of changes, but they are not starting over.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA And https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
___
Associated Press basketball writer Tim Reynolds and Associated Press sports writer Larry Lage contributed to this report.
Join the conversation