Kyle Kuzma averaged a career-best 21.2 points per game last season with the Wizards.
Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma is staying put, re-upping with the Wizards for $102 million over four years.
The deal was made official on July 7.
Free agent F Kyle Kuzma has agreed on a four-year, $102M deal to return to the Washington Wizards, co-head of @CAA_Basketball Austin Brown tells ESPN. Kuzma took a shorter deal with Lakers three years ago — and now cashes in after a career-year with Wizards. pic.twitter.com/Ox7TQDcb6z
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023
New from @JoshuaBRobbins and me: the Wizards re-sign Kyle Kuzma for four years and $102 million, opting to keep him in the fold rather than let him walk for nothing. In @TheAthletic: https://t.co/8K1UlH0ePq
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 30, 2023
Kuzma is coming off the highest-scoring season of his six-year career, averaging 21.2 points per game along with 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. It was a marked jump forward in scoring for Kuzma, who posted 17.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 3.5 apg in his first season with the Wizards in 2021-22.
The Brooklyn Nets selected Kuzma with the No. 27 pick in the 2017 Draft, but he was traded to the Lakers on Draft night. He became a significant part of the Lakers’ young roster both before and during LeBron James’ arrival. After enjoying mostly a starting role in his second season, Kuzma then handled a bench reserve in his third and fourth seasons because of Anthony Davis’ presence. The Lakers dealt Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Wizards in a five-team deal in 2021 that landed Russell Westbrook in L.A.
Despite the trade for Kuzma, the Wizards have struggled to find success in the last few seasons. They missed the playoffs the last two seasons with 35-47 records and haven’t advanced past the first round since 2016-17. Washington has been plenty busy in the offseason, trading versatile forward Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics in a three-team deal and leading scorer Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns in another trade.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
