The Washington Wizards forward also indicated that he intends to be more assertive for the rest of the season.
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma recently said some comments that he intends to be more assertive for the rest of the 2024-25 season. The comments were said after the Wizards’ loss to the Phoenix Suns last weekend.
Here is what he said in an article by Joshua Robbins of The Athletic after scoring 30 points in that loss:
“I think today I just decided to be myself and not really just try to fit into everything that we’re doing here, and just really played in the moment.
Asked immediately what he meant by playing in the moment and not trying to fit in, Kuzma answered, “I mean just not trying to fit into what we’re trying to do here. Just being more assertive, demanding the ball, not just going out there and trying to let people develop. Just playing my game.”
This is an interesting comment, considering that the Wizards are in the early stages of a rebuild. It was good to see Kuzma score 30 points against the Suns, but he followed that up with a 7 point performance last night against the Dallas Mavericks. Also, Kuzma knew that he would be signing his current contract with a rebuilding team, so it can be perceived as rubbing some players or other stakeholders the wrong way when he doesn’t want to “fit in.” Still, it’s understandable that Kuzma would want to take a more assertive role on a team like Washington.
It is no secret that numerous Wizards veteran players are trade targets with the deadline on Feb. 6. Kuzma said the following in Robbins’ piece regarding whether he was aware of any possible trades:
“We’ll see how it goes. I don’t know. I didn’t think last year was the right time (for a trade) after signing the deal (a four-year contract in 2023). That was kind of more of a last-year thing. I haven’t had conversations (with Wizards management). I haven’t even talked about the deadline, haven’t talked about being traded. So, this is really the first time I’m really talking about it.”
Do you see Kuzma getting traded before the trade deadline this season? He isn’t Jonas Valanciunas, who is arguably the player who is most likely to be traded. But Kuzma still could realistically be dealt nevertheless.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.