The Dallas Mavericks were reportedly pursuing Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma at last week's trade deadline, which apparently included a big offer.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday's episode. hoop collective (As of 21:40) His “understanding” is that the Mavs' offer “will be two first-round picks.”
The Mavs ended up acquiring center Daniel Gafford from the Wizards and forward P.J. Washington from the Charlotte Hornets. Windhorst went on to explain the maneuvering required for Dallas to win these trades, saying it all started with the team's desire to acquire Kuzma.
“They ended up sending one pick to Charlotte for P.J. Washington and one pick to Washington, which required them to get a pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder. It is my understanding that the Mavericks acquired the No. 2 pick in a trade for Kuzma,'' Windhorst said. “I'm not saying they took that pick from Oklahoma City, but it's my understanding that they went to Washington with two first-round picks.”
Kuzma raised some eyebrows when he told The Athletic's Josh Robbins that he rejected the opportunity to be traded to the Mavericks and chose to remain with the Wizards. He said team president Michael Winger has been upfront about Dallas' trade offer and left the decision up to him.
“I told him I wanted to stay here and keep building things,” Kuzma said. “And that was kind of the end.”
While his loyalty is admirable, it was still a strange 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 defeated the Wizards on Monday to improve to 31-23, giving Dallas its fifth straight win.
Kuzma certainly hopes his decision to stay in Washington will pay off in the long run.
