Wizards, Kuzma agree to four-year, $102M deal

Washington ahead Kyle Kuzma has agreed on a four-year, $102 million deal to return to the Wizards, co-head of CAA Basketball Austin Brown instructed ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.

Kuzma simply accomplished his second season with the Wizards averaging a career-high 21.2 factors to go together with 7.2 rebounds and was one of many high gamers available on the market this summer time.

Getting into his seventh season within the NBA, Kuzma has became a well-rounded participant — he was certainly one of simply 11 gamers final season to common a minimum of 20 factors, 7 rebounds and three.5 assists. As a scorer Kuzma does most of his injury within the paint, capturing higher than 70% on the rim and 48.7% on photographs from 3 to 10 toes. He is additionally a profession 33.8% shooter from past the arc.

DC let’s flip this ship round!! Could take time however I am dedicated you guys and turning the town up!!💯💯🫶🏽

— autumn (@kylekuzma) July 1, 2023

Kuzma mentioned earlier than the season ended that he would contemplate returning to Washington, however issues shifted for the franchise within the months since. Normal supervisor Tommy Sheppard was let go and the franchise employed former Clippers GM Michael Winger to be president of Monumental Sports activities and reshape the group.

Winger shortly swung a deal to ship Bradley Bealthe face of the franchise for the previous a number of years, to Phoenix and purchased Jordan Poole from the Golden State Warriors. Kristaps Porzingisthe workforce’s different star, was despatched to Boston.

Drafted by the Lakers with the No. 27 decide within the 2017 draft, Kuzma hit the bottom working, averaging practically 19 factors per recreation in his second season earlier than scaling his utilization again when Anthony Davis joined the workforce. However lower than two years after serving to L.A. win the title as a reserve in 2020, Kuzma was despatched to Washington as a part of the Russell Westbrook commerce.

Kuzma mentioned his objective in free company is to go someplace the place he could be the perfect model of himself.

“I am attempting to get higher yearly,” Kuzma mentioned in April. “It isn’t about cash, I’ll receives a commission regardless wherever [I go] and right here, too. It is about can I come into work on daily basis and be the perfect model of myself, can I assist lead guys, can I make different gamers higher, can I gentle up rooms. All these issues matter whenever you’re attempting to achieve success.”