The Milwaukee Bucks have made one thing clear this offseason: they do not believe in Kyle Kuzma. They have continued to make moves to reduce his role and signing Amir Coffey is the coup de grace for his place in the team's plans.
It has been a rough few years for Kyle Kuzma. The onetime champion as a role player on the Los Angeles Lakers stepped into a larger role after being traded to the Washington Wizards, and started getting high on his own supply. He communicated through his agent that he only wanted to be traded to certain teams, assuming he had the clout to dictate who would trade for him. He did not.
Then he had the opportunity to be traded to the Dallas Mavericks but turned it down. They pivoted to Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington instead and made it to the NBA Finals. He was forced to wait things out and ultimately was the player the Milwaukee Bucks settled for by trading Khris Middleton. Wisconsin is hardly the destination he was hoping for.
Kuzma was a bigtime scorer, however, so it was possible he could breathe life into his career playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Yet in his first playoff series since 2021 the Bucks unraveled; Lillard tore his ACL, Brook Lopez showed his age and Kuzma was helpless to do anything. By the fifth and final game of the series he was relegated to the bench and played only 13 minutes, and for the series he averaged 5.8 points on 34.3 percent shooting.
The saving grace for Kuzma was how depleted the Bucks' assets were to upgrade the team this summer. They needed him, because he made $22.4 million and had no way to replace him or attach a real asset to upgrade the position. He was going to be the starting small forward by default.
And yet....
The Bucks are replacing Kyle Kuzma
Milwaukee turned ketchup packets and ramen into a three-course meal this summer, manufacturing cap space to add Myles Turner and building a solid rotation around Antetokounmpo, for as long as he remains in Milwaukee. They may have mortgaged their future in the process, but that's a price they were willing to pay to prove themselves to a perennial Top-5 player.
What the Bucks have accomplished in the process is building enough of a rotation that they don't have to rely on Kyle Kuzma. Cole Anthony can be a microwave scorer off the bench to create offense when Giannis sits. Gary Harris is a veteran 3-and-D player who can defend big wings, something Kuzma ostensibly did for the Bucks. Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and A.J. Green represent enough players on the wing to build a full rotation, while Taurean Prince returns to provide a starting option at the 3.
The final blow came when the Bucks agreed to a deal with Amir Coffey. The 6'7" wing was a key rotation player for the LA Clippers over the last half-decade and does everything better than Kuzma except for create shots. He is a reliable shooter, plays solid defense and does the connective-tissue things you need on a good team. Is he going to go out and drop 20? Very rarely. But as a support player, he checks a lot of boxes, and the Bucks got him for a steal. He has a very real chance to make the roster and the rotation this season.
The theoretical upside of Kuzma is higher and more valuable, but that ship has sailed. If he isn't going to be an on-ball star, then Kuzma has to play a support role - and he is terrible at those things. He did them once, for the Lakers, en route to the championship. That Kuzma appears long gone.
Milwaukee is not going to just cut Kuzma or relegate him outside the rotation, at least not to start the season. He does have talent, and they likely want to preserve what little trade value he has in case a trade opens up. When it matters, however, they now don't need to rely on him at all.
The Bucks' stance on Kyle Kuzma is crystal clear. And he isn't going to like the answer.