After back-to-back seasons that ended in first-round playoff exits, the Milwaukee Bucks headed into the 2024-25 season with one goal in mind, which is to contest for the NBA Championship! Well, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. did start the season on the wrong foot but have since picked up the slack, winning six out of their last seven games, taking their season record to a healthier 8-9.

The Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Milwaukee side is still far from being the contenders this season. However, this could change if they improve their roster and bring in a solid wing option. One way they could do that is by going all in to acquire Washington Wizards‘ standout- Kyle Kuzma. Amid their rebuild, the Wizards are in the market to load off Kuzma if their conditions are met.

via Imago

Well, that’s the worry though, as per reports, the asking price for Kyle Kuzma is multiple first-round picks, which is the same as last season, and a price no team is willing to meet. Although he might be a great fit for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co., there are a few obstacles in the way of this trade. For starters, even if Milwaukee somehow manages to match the demands, the forward is on a $90 million contract which is set to run until 2026-27, after which he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Popular hoops reporter Trevor Lane, host of The Basketball Bulletin, believes, “The numbers that he’s putting up right now are 17.4 points, like that’s not bad. But terrible efficiency 42% from the field and 29% from three- that’s not going to get it done. That’s not going to get teams interested in him… Kyle Kuzma isn’t putting up these dominant numbers that I think are going to make teams excited about forking over two first-round picks.”

While his assists average has dropped from 4.2 to 1.9 per game, which could be attributed to a change in the team’s style of play, however, Kuzma’s efficiency is a major concern and it could be the reason, the Wizards might have to lower their ask for teams to be interested in doing business.

Trade talk doesn’t affect Washington Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma

Kyle Kuzma has been involved in several trade talks. In fact, there were even reports of him nearly joining the Mavericks ahead of last year’s trade deadline. However, all this doesn’t affect the 29-year-old, as he opened up, saying, “

I’ve been in trade rumors for eight years. This is my eighth year in the NBA. So, like I said, I don’t really listen (to that).“
He further added,

“I see. I don’t listen. I don’t really care too much about the opinions of others, and I think that’s the reason I’ve always been so good in my career. You see, a lot of times when players get into trade talks, it affects their games. But it really doesn’t matter at the end of the day.” Obviously, he’s the best player in Washington at the moment- last season he averaged 22.2 points and this season despite a dip in his form the forward has still managed to get 16.7 points per game.

He listed two reasons as to why the rumors don’t affect him.

One, it’s a business. Two, everybody in the NBA is tradable, except for (Victor Wembanyama). And I’d still be playing basketball if I get traded, so why would I be thinking about anything other than trying to put the ball in the hoop?” As per Kuzma, playing basketball is the main goal, and the color of the jersey is secondary to that. Well, it remains to be seen how the Wizards opt to use Kuzma. Will the 29-year-old be a long-term investment amid their rebuild or will they trade him for good value? Only time will tell.