Following a woeful defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday, the Milwaukee Bucks are back in the trade rumors yet again as they look to change up their roster to become serious contenders.
The Luka Doncic trade has catapulted the trade market into life. De'Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine were traded late Sunday night, which shrunk the Bucks' odds of adding a new star, with Jimmy Butler also being very picky regarding his preferred destination to sign an extension.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on Monday afternoon that the Milwaukee Bucks have turned at least some of their attention toward Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma.
Fischer says the Bucks have had recent conversations about pursuing Washington's Kyle Kuzma.
The Bucks acquiring Kyle Kuzma would not be good move
The former Laker is averaging 15 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists on shooting splits of .422/.286/.589 this season. The 3-point numbers are a tough look for a player attempting almost five shots from deep per game.
Kuzma is currently earning $23.5 million, which puts him in a weird situation for the Bucks to even acquire him. They either straight up give up Khris Middleton for him, or they'd likely have to do a move prior, such as moving Pat Connaughton and his $9.4 million to get under the second apron, and then combine Brook Lopez and his $23 million deal with a minimum contract to get Kuzma.
With the Wizards drafting Alex Sarr and Carlton Carrington, they are clearly in a rebuilding phase with the worst record in the league of 7-41. Kuzma is clearly not a part of the long-term plans despite being under contract through the 2026-27 season.
After a defeat to the Phoenix Suns in late January and a career-high 30 points, Kuzma came out with some interesting postgame comments suggesting he didn't want to fit in with the franchise's plans.
"I think today I just decided to be myself and not really just try to fit into everything that we're doing here, and just really played in the moment. I think my mom helped me out with that. I saw her today."
Those comments are intriguing, as he is clearly now being selfish regarding his own career and doesn't see his future in Washington. It doesn't mean that if he were to be traded, he would be some sort of locker room problem, but publicly saying he doesn't want to help the young players grow their game leaves a bad taste in the mouth and has riled up the majority of the Wizards fan base.
As for how he would fit in with the Milwaukee Bucks, that would depend on who was traded, but it feels there is no real simple vision with the move.
Having him play the three with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Lopez feels unlikely and would take away even more athleticism from a team already lacking it. Should he play the four and Giannis the five, maybe that could work, but the fit doesn't feel right. He would have to accept being the third or possibly fourth option on the roster.
The likelihood of them moving Middleton for Kuzma is incomprehensible.
The NBA trade deadline slams shut on February 6, so the Milwaukee Bucks will have to move quickly before an opportunity passes them. However, Kuzma doesn't feel like the answer to their problems. Adding him to this roster, depending on how much they give up, could cause even more issues.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis and news.