The Washington Wizards’ de-facto franchise player was almost Dallas bound.
Now that the NBA trade deadline has passed, I won’t just write about the deals that happened. I’m also going to write about the deals that almost happened. Sometimes, they are just as, if not more interesting than the trades that do happen.
According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (subscription required), the Wizards were close to trading Kyle Kuzma to another team, likely the Dallas Mavericks after corroborating with other reporters in the NBA. Note that it was Daniel Gafford who was actually traded to Dallas, not Kuzma.
Ultimately, the Wizards didn’t trade Kuzma to Dallas because they wanted two first round picks for him, something that pretty much no NBA team is willing to give up for him. At least Washington received one first round pick by trading Gafford.
If the Wizards were close to trading Kuzma, I wonder what player(s) would have been offered in such a deal. If two first round picks weren’t offered, my guess is that it would be one first round pick and a younger prospect. But who knows?
What are your reactions to this near-trade? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.