He was the young emerging superstar that was going to take the mantle from Stephen Curry once his days in the NBA were passed, but it seems the Warriors’ front office wasn’t of the same opinion.įrom what we can tell, Poole’s altercation with longtime Golden State veteran Draymond Green caused wounds that weren’t healable despite whatever reports came out about them quashing their differences. Getting more money upfront should be seen as a positive.Jordan Poole was supposed the be the chosen one for the Golden State Warriors. From Washington’s perspective, the team-friendly contract amounts to a victory.įrom Kuzma’s perspective, the contract remains a windfall and a validation of his potential. Retaining Kuzma should help that effort while also helping rookie Bilal Coulibaly develop. Winger and Dawkins envision the Wizards being competitive in the season ahead, as The Athletic reported. Kuzma’s descending salaries over the life of his new contract will offer Washington more flexibility to add additional players, and the descending salaries also should make him easier to trade down the road if that’s what team officials decide to do. While Kuzma’s new deal is indeed a long-term contract, it’s a team-friendly one - much more team-friendly than the five-year, $125 million deal that forward John Collins signed in 2021 to remain with the Atlanta Hawks. In their moves so far, Winger and Dawkins took Beal’s burdensome long-term contract off the Wizards’ books and - apart from Poole, who came over when the Wizards traded Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors - have been reluctant to add long-term contracts. A role player during his final two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kuzma has emerged as a focal point on offense under Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr., averaging averaged career highs of 21.2 points and 3.7 assists last season in Washington. Kuzma has enjoyed his time in Washington. However, the team was able to retain Kuzma in the end. Subsequent trades of Beal and Porziņģis heightened the possibility that Kuzma would sign elsewhere with Washington not receiving any players or draft capital in return. When the Wizards did not trade Kuzma before the last season’s trade deadline, executives from rival teams assumed Washington and Kuzma had an understanding that the franchise would re-sign him in unrestricted free agency.īut when Tommy Sheppard was fired in April, and was later replaced by Winger and Dawkins, it raised the question if Kuzma would remain in D.C. The Athletic’s instant analysis: Kuzma’s value to the Wizards Washington, operating under a new executive group headed by Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger and new Wizards general manager Will Dawkins, traded both Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis in separate moves in late June. The 27-year-old forward will begin his contract as a centerpiece on a rebuilding Wizards team, along with newly acquired guards Jordan Poole and Tyus Jones. The agreement between Kuzma and the Wizards was originally reported by ESPN on June 30 to be worth a total of $102 million over four years. Kuzma’s guaranteed salaries (rounded below) will descend year-over-year:
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