Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are reportedly "eager to find a trade partner for Kyle Kuzma" before the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 6, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Per Stein, it is believed that Kuzma wants to leave the Wizards as they face a tough 4-22 season and look ahead to the loaded 2025 NBA Draft.

Some rival teams at the G League Showcase inquired about the Dallas Mavericks possibly pursuing Kuzma, as they are exploring frontcourt upgrades, though this has been dismissed, per Stein.

Following the team's 122-113 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 7, Kuzma's teammate Jordan Poole spoke about the team's motivation moving forward after enduring a winless November.

"So, you don't want to jump ship, just because it's a little bit of adversity because everything that we've been getting taught all season, just happened to show tonight," Poole told reporters after the game. "So, hopefully, it's a good sign. We can find ways to, like I said, replicate that, continue to be engaged, but really embrace this. Soak this in, and see how we got it done."

Kuzma has also been linked to the Sacramento Kings, who reportedly have him on their radar along with several other players, including Jerami Grant, John Collins, and Jonas Valančiūnas, according to The Athletic's Sam Amick and Anthony Slater.

The 29-year-old's last full game was on Nov. 26 in the Wizards' 127-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls, where Kuzma recorded 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Kuzma will miss his 10th straight game on Monday due to a rib injury, as the Wizards face the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The eighth-year player has been averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists this season while shooting 42 percent from the field.

Washington Wizards fans haven't had much to be excited about during the team's 3-21 start to the 2024-25 season, but the team made an effort to rectify that on Thursday.

New renderings for a renovated Capital One Arena were posted on social media, giving fans a first look at upgrades coming to the home of the Wizards and Washington Capitals by the 2027-28 season:

A release stated that earlier this week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed off on the start of construction on the project, which also received unanimous approval on the development and finance agreements from the D.C. Council. The are plans for six phases of construction over the next three years.

"The arena will be a marvel of modern design and technology, the intersection of style and comfort and a futuristic and first-class fan experience from street to seat," said Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Wizards, Capitals and Washington Mystics. "In this greatest city in the world with its extraordinary and historic monuments, we believe this building will be a monument but built on momentum – something bold and bright for now and the future."

The release also stated that premium new spaces that will be completed during the first phase of construction will be available to fans of the Wizards and Capitals as early as the 2025-26 season.

The Wizards have the worst record in the NBA and don't appear to be close to turning things around. Rookie center Alex Sarr, the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NBA draft, is averaging 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and a team-high 1.8 blocks.

Thankfully for Washington fans, the Capitals have picked up the slack and rank second in the Metropolitan Division with a 21-8-2 record.

It's no secret that the Washington Wizards have struggled to open the 2024-25 season, especially at home.

With a 112-98 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the Wizards fell to 2-11 at Capital One Arena. The Celtics have already traveled to Washington three times this season and won every single contest, giving them more victories in the same building than the home team.

Sunday's result represented the Wizards' third consecutive loss as well as Boston's second straight win.

On the season as a whole, Washington owns the worst record in the NBA at 3-21. Poor execution on both ends of the floor has contributed to the sluggish start, as the Wizards have also maintained the worst net rating in the association (via NBA.com).

Washington has young talent that has shown potential on defense such as second-year wing Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. Jordan Poole is also averaging 20.3 points per game while shooting a career-high 39.2 percent from three-point territory.

All signs are pointing towards the Wizards missing the playoffs for a fourth straight season, though.

Meanwhile, Boston has won 21 of its first 26 games to begin the year while maintaining the second-best offensive rating in the league. The reigning champions have remained effective despite the absence of Kristaps Porziņģis, who has only suited up in seven games after making his return from ankle surgery.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are both putting together impressive seasons once again, combining to average 52 points, 15 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game.

The Wizards will attempt to secure their third home victory of the year on Thursday, hosting the Charlotte Hornets. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. ET.

The Washington Wizards were not expected to be competitive this season, but their 3-19 start is not something anyone on the team could have predicted.

"I try to come into seasons with not too much of an expectation, because you just never know how things can go," veteran forward Kyle Kuzma told The Athletic's David Aldridge and Josh Robbins. "I probably thought we could struggle, but never to the extent that we are in the present."

The Wizards rank last in the NBA in defense with an average of 123.8 points allowed per game. Washington went winless in the entire month of November and snapped a 16-game losing streak with a surprising 122-113 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. However, the team suffered a 140-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies the very next day.

Shooting guard Jordan Poole is the only Wizards player who averages 20 points per game at 20.4, and he's shooting a career-high 40.6 percent from three-point range. No other player has made much of an impact this year, and all signs point to Washington missing the playoffs for a fourth straight year.

Perhaps a lottery pick near the top of the 2025 NBA draft could be enough to turn things around for the Wizards, but that would be a small consolation for fans who have to endure another lost season.

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is reportedly expected to be a hot commodity leading up to the Feb. 6, 2025, NBA trade deadline.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, "several contenders" are expected to have interest in and be in pursuit of Kuzma as the season progresses.

Kuzma, 29, signed a four-year, $90 million deal to remain with the Wizards in 2023, meaning he is under contract through the 2026-27 season and would not be a rental should a team acquire him.

Given that the Wizards are the worst team in the NBA this season at just 3-19, they are prime candidates to be sellers over the next couple of months.

Kuzma is the team's second-leading scorer this season with 15.8 points per game, but he has largely struggled with efficiency, shooting a career-worst 42.0 percent from the field and 27.6 percent from beyond the arc.

His rebounding (5.6), assist (1.9) and three-pointers made (1.3) averages have also dropped off sharply compared to recent seasons.

The 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns were arguably the two best statistical seasons of Kuzma's career, though, so there is hope that he would be able to turn things around with a change of scenery.

In 2022-23, Kuzma put up 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 three-pointers made per game, and he followed that up last season with a career-high 22.2 points per game on a career-best 46.3 percent shooting to go along with 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.2 trifectas.

Given his history as a quality scorer and three-point shooter, it comes as little surprise that teams are likely expected to line up for the opportunity to acquire his services.

While Kuzma is not a No. 1 or even No. 2 option on a championship-contending team, he can be the type of tertiary scorer that possibly puts a team over the top.

Washington is clearly building for the future and positioning itself for one of the top picks in the 2025 NBA draft, which could yield a potential franchise player such as Duke's Cooper Flagg or Ace Bailey.

Because of that, there is plenty of incentive for the Wizards to trade away one of their more productive player.

In addition to making the team worse presently, trading Kuzma would likely net the Wizard even more draft capital to use toward their rebuild, which is the most valuable asset possible for the franchise at this point.

Don't be surprised if Kyle Kuzma is on the trade block ahead of the February deadline.

Accordng to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, "Teams around the league believe the 29-year-old forward is worth monitoring as a trade candidate due to his skillset and declining salary over the next two years while in his prime years. Executives around the league also believe Kuzma doesn't fit the long-term timeline of Washington's young core."

He noted that the Sacramento Kings, Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers have "kept tabs" on Kuzma.

Kuzma, 29, has had a rough start to the 2024-25 season, averaging 15.8 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting just 27.6 percent from three in 12 games. If those marks persist, it would be his lowest scoring output since the 2020-21 season, his worst rebounding since the 2019-20 campaign and the worst perimeter shooting of his career.

Even just last season, Kuzma averaged a career-best 22.2 points per game for the Wizards.

Regardless of his statistical output, however, Kuzma is miscast on a rebuilding Wizards team that needs to be focused on getting its younger players minutes and collecting draft assets to stockpile the roster with lottery talent.

The Wizards are an NBA-worst 2-16 and it's unlikely to get much better, though tanking is a logical strategy for them. The team's notable young talent includes Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn Sarr, Kyshawn George and Carlton Carrington, though it remains to be seen if any will truly develop into stars.

With players like Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey hitting the NBA draft next year, however, it's a good year for a rebuilding team like the Wizards to be bad.

As for potential Kuzma suitors, he's proven capable of playing a role for a contender in the past, winning a bubble title with the Lakers in the 2019-20 season. He largely came off the bench that season, though it's hard to imagine him returning to that role if he's dealt to a playoff team this time around.

But for teams needing more length and shot-making at the 4, Kuzma would make sense as a potential addition.

The Washington Wizards will be hoping their new City Edition uniforms bring them better luck on the court.

Washington unveiled the new jerseys that will make their debut on Dec. 5.

The Wizards announced that the "Beyond Boundaries" jerseys are designed to honor "the past boundaries we've broken while celebrating our future: that no boundaries can contain us."

Specific aspects of the design pay tribute to Washington D.C. and the communities within the city, including the hydrogen blue color base with blue and red accent coloring made to reflect the waterways that surround D.C.

The Wizards' City Edition jersey from last season featured a black and anthracite color combination with red, bronze and patina accents. It was designed as a tribute to Benjamin Banneker, who helped with the survey that established the original borders for Washington D.C. in 1791.

The Wizards will host the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 5 when the new City Edition jerseys are worn in a game for the first time.

In the second meeting between the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2024 NBA draft, Alex Sarr and the Washington Wizards picked up another win over Zaccharie Risacher and the Atlanta Hawks.

In their first meeting on Monday, Sarr and Washington won a close one against the Hawks, but Wednesday's win was much more comfortable as the Wizards won 133-120.

Both rookies put up solid numbers on Wednesday, though Risacher slightly outplayed Sarr by picking up a few buckets after the game was mostly decided. Sarr finished with 11 points, five boards, four blocks and a steal while Risacher had 17 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal. Risacher's 17 points were a career-high.

After the game, fans applauded both rookies for continuing to look solid in their young careers.

It's clear Sarr and Risacher both have a ways to go before they are difference-makers for their respective teams, but they continue to show promise through the early parts of the season.

The biggest upside the two have shown has been their defense as they've made blocking shots a habit. If they can hit their stride on offense, both will be players to watch over the next few years.

The No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2024 NBA draft squared off for the first time this season on Monday as Zaccharie Risacher's Atlanta Hawks took on Alex Sarr's Washington Wizards.

Sarr and the Wizards walked away with their first win of the season, beating the Hawks 121-119.

While it wasn't the most memorable game from either rookie, Sarr slightly outplayed Risacher as he totaled seven points and nine rebounds compared to four points and three boards from Risacher.

Though both young players are still clearly finding their game offensively, their defensive upside was evident on Monday. Sarr had a steal and a pair of blocks while Risacher had two steals and swatted two shots.

Defense is a good place to start, as they should get more comfortable on offense as they progress naturally.

After the matchup, fans were somewhat disappointed by the rookie battle, though others noted the potential the two have.

Sarr and Risacher have just a few games under their belts, so their slow starts are a bit expected. With last year's top pick being Victor Wembanyama, Monday's matchup was a good reminder that most rookies take a little bit of time before fully developing, especially two who aren't even 20 years old yet.

As the season continues, both Sarr and Risacher will likely put together some big performances, but for now, they both have a ways to go.

Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has been known for his memorable fits while walking in the tunnel into NBA locker rooms before games, but he's changing up his style.

Kuzma spoke about the matter to Leah Faye Cooper of Vogue and explained why he won't be donning eye-catching outfits anymore.

"I don't want to be a part of that type of community where you have to put on a fit," Kuzma said. "I'm really taking a backseat to all of that."

Kuzma said he was a "a pretty evident person within the tunnel years ago" but added that he's moved on.

"I can speak from experience that when you're a younger player, you don't want to wear the same thing twice. A lot of times we get played into thinking, oh, we gotta switch it up, we gotta buy something new. And now we're just buying clothes to impress people or to stand out. It's ludicrous."

The NBA has come a long way since commissioner David Stern implemented a business casual dress code in 2005.

That's gone by the wayside now, allowing players to fully express themselves. Kuzma's fits were certainly notable over the years, but it appears he's had a change of heart.

The 29-year-old forward is in his eighth NBA season and fourth with Washington. He averaged a career-high 22.2 points per game to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists last season.