Kyle Kuzma is raising some eyebrows after revealing that he wanted to stay with the Washington Wizards instead of possibly landing with the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA trade deadline. His desire to “continue to build something” has left many puzzled and skeptical, including retired forward Chandler Parsons.
“I’m not buying it,” he said with a smile on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back. “There’s nothing being built in DC.”
It is tough to refute Parsons’ blunt assessment of this ailing franchise. The Wizards are only one game ahead of the Detroit Pistons for worst record in the league and do not have a wealth of potential to convince fans that better days are in sight. Kuzma obviously will have some bias, but it is difficult to share his optimistic outlook.
Based on his comments, however, it does sound like he could have potentially entertained the right trade scenario for himself. And apparently, that was not the Mavericks. The 28-year-old helped the Los Angeles Lakers win a championship in 2020 and was seemingly willing to join an unquestioned contender again, but he did not see Dallas at that level.
The Mavs made other trades instead and are currently riding a six-game winning streak heading into NBA All-Star Weekend. Meanwhile, the Wizards have lost their last eight contests. They end February with games against teams with winning records, so Washington may realistically go an entire month without a single victory.
Those are some unorthodox blueprints. Kyle Kuzma might be pleased to be the top guy on a team, but he may want to give these foundational bricks a closer inspection. Nevertheless, if the Wizards do figure out how to build a successful product, fans will never forget this act of faith.
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