NBA Rumors: Mavericks Offered 2 1st-Round Draft Picks to Wizards for Kyle Kuzma

Doric SamFebruary 14, 2024

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The Dallas Mavericks’ reported pursuit of Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma at last week’s trade deadline apparently included a lofty offer.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday’s episode of The Hoop Collective (21:40 mark) that his “understanding” is that the Mavs’ offer “was going to be the two first-round picks.”

The Mavs ended up landing center Daniel Gafford from the Wizards and forward P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets. Windhorst went on to explain the maneuvering it took for Dallas to come away with those deals, stating that it all started with the team’s hopes to land Kuzma.

“They ended up sending one pick to Charlotte for P.J. Washington and one pick to Washington. They had to acquire a pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder to do that, and it’s my understanding that the Mavericks had acquired the second pick with the intention of trading for Kuzma,” Windhorst said. “Now, I’m not saying they got that pick from Oklahoma City, but it’s my understanding that they went with two first-round picks to Washington.”

Kuzma raised some eyebrows when he told The Athletic’s Josh Robbins that he rejected the opportunity to be traded to the Mavericks and opted to stay with the Wizards. He said that team president Michael Winger was upfront with him about Dallas’ trade offer and left the decision in his hands.

“I told him I wanted to stay and continue to build something,” Kuzma said. “And that was kind of the end of it.”

While his loyalty is to be admired, it was still a curious decision. The Wizards have the second-worst record in the NBA at 9-44 and appear to be in the early stages of a rebuild that could take years to complete. The Mavs improved to 31-23 by defeating the Wizards on Monday, which was Dallas’ fifth straight win.

Kuzma is certainly hoping his decision to stay in Washington will pay off in the long run.