The Washington Wizards have hit the proverbial reset button, as they have traded away Rui Hachimura, Bradley Beal, and Kristaps Porzingis in recent months.
They are now Kyle Kuzma’s team, and they made that seemingly official when they gave him a big new contract to remain in the nation’s capital this summer.
Analyst Keith Smith detailed a breakdown of Kuzma’s contract, including how much of it consists of incentives, plus the fact that his annual salary will decline over time.
Kyle Kuzma's contract with the Washington Wizards is guaranteed for $90M with $12M in incentives, bringing the total possible value to $102M, a league source told @spotrac.
Kuzma's contract also descends year-to-year, starting at $25.6M in 23-24 and ending at $19.4M in 26-27.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) July 11, 2023
Although the forward was a late first-round draft pick in 2017, he instantly proved he was a good player by averaging 16.1 points a game as a rookie and being named to the All-Rookie First Team.
He spent his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, and although he got himself an NBA championship ring in 2020, he came off the bench that season and proved to be an awkward fit around LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Over the last few years, Kuzma has expanded his game, as he has proven he is more than just a scorer by improving his rebounding, passing, and even his defense.
This past season, he averaged 21.2 points and 3.7 assists a game, both of which were career-highs.
At age 27, Kuzma should have many good, productive years ahead of him, which should give the Wizards some time to build a winning team around him, especially with all the draft picks they received in the Beal trade.
That trade yielded them four first-round picks and five second-round selections over the next seven years.
NEXT: Wizards Show Off Their Newest Star In Jordan Poole
