Still think it might be King Kuzma

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Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#1 » by Texas Chuck » Sun Jun 9, 2024 2:02 pm

Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#2 » by nate33 » Sun Jun 9, 2024 2:27 pm

Texas Chuck wrote:Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.


I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#3 » by Sactowndog » Sun Jun 9, 2024 2:51 pm

nate33 wrote:
Texas Chuck wrote:Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.


I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.


How much value do you see Kuzma having? I don’t love Kuzma but would probably do this trade as long as 26 stays part of it. I might also give you Vezenkov to add to it.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#4 » by Colbinii » Sun Jun 9, 2024 3:17 pm

nate33 wrote:
Texas Chuck wrote:Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.


I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.


If #26 is a deal breaker for you to walk away, the Kings can easily add in 2 2nds to close any existing gap.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#5 » by oldncreaky » Sun Jun 9, 2024 3:37 pm

For Detroit, it's good. Barnes is a good acquisition for pure cap space. I'm not going to get overly excited about it though: we are not getting additional assets, merely getting a neutral asset that will help us evaluate Cade

For SAC, I wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze. Is Kuzma an upgrade on Barnes? Maybe? He's younger for sure, but I think I'd prefer Barnes for the role available (5th starter, decent D). Maybe it's just me and my opinion of Kuzma is too low.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#6 » by nate33 » Sun Jun 9, 2024 3:59 pm

Sactowndog wrote:
nate33 wrote:
Texas Chuck wrote:Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.


I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.


How much value do you see Kuzma having? I don’t love Kuzma but would probably do this trade as long as 26 stays part of it. I might also give you Vezenkov to add to it.

I think he is worth one good first round pick in the teens (the low teens in this draft) or two first round picks in the 20's. People like to hate on Kuzma because of his so-so efficiency, but that's because he is the #1 priority of opposing defenses on a bad Wizards team. Kuzma is still a very versatile player who can do a lot of things pretty well. He can guard 2 through 5. He can be a secondary playmaker. He shoots 41% from corner 3's. He can create a bailout shot at the end of the clock. He'll rebound. He is the kind of player who helps in the playoffs because he can't be schemed off the floor like short guys, one-dimensional guys, or non-shooters.

And in 3 years, as his contract declines, he will cost barely more than MLE money.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#7 » by Sactowndog » Sun Jun 9, 2024 4:06 pm

nate33 wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:
nate33 wrote:
I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.


How much value do you see Kuzma having? I don’t love Kuzma but would probably do this trade as long as 26 stays part of it. I might also give you Vezenkov to add to it.

I think he is worth one good first round pick in the teens (the low teens in this draft) or two first round picks in the 20's. People like to hate on Kuzma because of his so-so efficiency, but that's because he is the #1 priority of opposing defenses on a bad Wizards team. Kuzma is still a very versatile player who can do a lot of things pretty well. He can guard 2 through 5. He can be a secondary playmaker. He shoots 41% from corner 3's. He can create a bailout shot at the end of the clock. He'll rebound. He is the kind of player who helps in the playoffs because he be schemed off the floor like short guys, one-dimensional guys, or non-shooters.

And in 3 years, as his contract declines, he will cost barely more than MLE money.


Fair enough. I don’t see Kuzma having that kind of value so it makes aligning on a trade hard.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#8 » by Texas Chuck » Sun Jun 9, 2024 4:15 pm

Sactowndog wrote:Fair enough. I don’t see Kuzma having that kind of value so it makes aligning on a trade hard.


Definitely hard to get everyone to agree on values. But if 26 is the only difference, it feels not that far apart. And while I think some value is getting overlooked here in that Washington takes back zero salary, I know Nate doesn't feel like this adds value to Washington.

So a different 3rd team who can send different salary plus a little bit of value to Washington and take Barnes might help.

For instance Dallas could do THJ/Powell/25 TOR 2nd/28 MIA 2nd and take Barnes. Washington still saves on long-term salary but if they don't care about saving that this year, pick up a couple of potentially good 2nds. Or maybe it is Prosper in place of the picks?

I think the OP version is cleaner(obviously since I went with it. :wink: ) because I feel differently from Nate about the value of the savings. But I'm open to other variations.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#9 » by nate33 » Sun Jun 9, 2024 4:17 pm

Texas Chuck wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:Fair enough. I don’t see Kuzma having that kind of value so it makes aligning on a trade hard.


Definitely hard to get everyone to agree on values. But if 26 is the only difference, it feels not that far apart. And while I think some value is getting overlooked here in that Washington takes back zero salary, I know Nate doesn't feel like this adds value to Washington.

So a different 3rd team who can send different salary plus a little bit of value to Washington and take Barnes might help.

For instance Dallas could do THJ/Powell/25 TOR 2nd/28 MIA 2nd and take Barnes. Washington still saves on long-term salary but if they don't care about saving that this year, pick up a couple of potentially good 2nds. Or maybe it is Prosper in place of the picks?

I think the OP version is cleaner(obviously since I went with it. :wink: ) because I feel differently from Nate about the value of the savings. But I'm open to other variations.

Yes. That makes sense. The Wizards aren't really interested in the salary savings, so if they could convert that aspect of the return into more pick capital, it would help.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#10 » by balsamic_ducks » Sun Jun 9, 2024 4:39 pm

nate33 wrote:
Texas Chuck wrote:Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.


I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.


Is adding 26 really a dealbreaker? Would the Wizards even want to bring in 3 rookies from a bad draft?

I would do OP's deal if im the wizards
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#11 » by JonFromVA » Sun Jun 9, 2024 5:58 pm

If the Wizards are ready to stop tanking and start to turn their culture around, they should jump all over this deal.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#12 » by CraftylikeaFox » Sun Jun 9, 2024 6:14 pm

If the Kings actually do trade for Kuzma it'll complete their transformation as the most mid team ever assembled
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#13 » by Waynearchetype » Sun Jun 9, 2024 6:20 pm

Kings could play hardball for the 26 since I bet they could make a similar deal with Portland for Grant and Portlands early 2nds. Could argue Grant is the better fit as well with the difference in 3PT %, with Kuzma being the "cheaper" option.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#14 » by Scoot McGroot » Sun Jun 9, 2024 11:39 pm

nate33 wrote:
Sactowndog wrote:
nate33 wrote:
I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.


How much value do you see Kuzma having? I don’t love Kuzma but would probably do this trade as long as 26 stays part of it. I might also give you Vezenkov to add to it.

I think he is worth one good first round pick in the teens (the low teens in this draft) or two first round picks in the 20's. People like to hate on Kuzma because of his so-so efficiency, but that's because he is the #1 priority of opposing defenses on a bad Wizards team. Kuzma is still a very versatile player who can do a lot of things pretty well. He can guard 2 through 5. He can be a secondary playmaker. He shoots 41% from corner 3's. He can create a bailout shot at the end of the clock. He'll rebound. He is the kind of player who helps in the playoffs because he can't be schemed off the floor like short guys, one-dimensional guys, or non-shooters.


I think a lot of these are “sometimes” or “occasionally”. If he could guard 2-5 with any talent and consistency, he’d be one of the best players in the league. Right? He’s a guy that can, most nights, pull something out of his hat for a stretch, but then he tends to get comfortable and tries to overdo it. He won’t pass guys open, but he’ll make the smart next swing pass into an assist opportunity. Etc. I agree, he’s a fine player to have for most teams, but he probably maxes out as your 4th or 5th best guy? If he’s more than that, I think your team is in trouble?

And in 3 years, as his contract declines, he will cost barely more than MLE money.


With max cap rises, the MLE could be $15.56m (depending on where it lands exactly this year) in the last year of Kuzma’s deal. He’s scheduled to make $19.43m, but only if he stays with the Wizards. If he’s traded elsewhere, his cap number could be as high as $25.35m with his trade kicker and bonus possibilities. Even if he doesn’t hit any bonuses, he’s still at $22.35m. I wouldn’t call him in the neighborhood of MLE, unless he stays with Washington, and they remain terrible, it would be about 25% more than the projected MLE at that point. But that can’t be a trade value selling point. It can only be a “Washington could keep him…” point.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#15 » by OxAndFox » Mon Jun 10, 2024 12:12 am

I think this is pretty much what a deal would look like.
From the Kings' POV the #26 would be needed.
Kuzma is on a good contract, but even still for the Wizards to completely take that off the books and move into the lottery is, IMO, good value.
If as Colbinii mentions a couple of 2nds are added, or maybe a swap of the #45 and #51 in this draft along with a '25 Sacramento 2nd.
That would be as far as I would go TBH. Otherwise look at other options.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#16 » by Kizz Fastfists » Mon Jun 10, 2024 12:49 am

I don't see any motivation for Detroit to do this. They are rebuilding and Barnes is a solid veteran that could add a handful of wins and cost them draft position. Getting to 30-35 wins doesn't next year doesn't help them. It actually hurts them. #26 would need to go to Detroit for taking the salary dump in order for this to make sense. If you are going to argue that #26 is too much for the salary dump, perhaps three SRPs, but that is the minimum and I mean real 2nds not fake ones.

OKC got a pair of 2nd round picks from Miami for taking Oladipo, $9.5M. OKC then got a pair of 2nds from Houston to take Kevin Porter Jr, $17M, while sending out Oladipo. So the going rate to dump Barnes would seem to be four 2nd round picks. A mid-late first would probably do the trick, but Detroit has no motivation at all to be involved here without compensation. If you cut Detroit out the trade makes a lot more sense and then Washington could hope to find a contender willing to give them a SRP for Barnes at the deadline.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#17 » by vincecarter4pres » Mon Jun 10, 2024 1:26 am

nate33 wrote:
Texas Chuck wrote:Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.


I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.

Feels Atlanta John Collinsy.

Keep overvaluing a mediocre player even when there’s some legit but probably unwarranted positive value from a handful of teams, hold him too long and eventually everyone comes around and remembers he’s a negative value player, and now you’re stuck with him. Then finally the time comes and you have to either add value to dump him, or he provided no on court or marketability value and you paid him all that time to let him expire, or trade him for a much worse player on an equally bad contract.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#18 » by Sactowndog » Mon Jun 10, 2024 5:41 am

vincecarter4pres wrote:
nate33 wrote:
Texas Chuck wrote:Simple deal:

Kings trade: Barnes/#13
Kings get: Kuzma/#26

Wizards trade: Kuzma/#26
Wizards get: #13, top 55 2nd

Pistons trade: top 55 2nd
Pistons get: Barnes

Pistons use some of their cap space to bring in a quality veteran and ultimate professional in Harry Barnes. 2 year commitment feels perfect in terms of length for a player like this..

Wizards get a lottery pick for Kuzma and take back no unwanted salary. They could keep Barnes if they want, but I believe there are uses for their spending power that make more sense for them.

Kings upgrade their forward spots, still able to add a young player in the draft or potentially flip that pick for something else.


I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.

Feels Atlanta John Collinsy.

Keep overvaluing a mediocre player even when there’s some legit but probably unwarranted positive value from a handful of teams, hold him too long and eventually everyone comes around and remembers he’s a negative value player, and now you’re stuck with him. Then finally the time comes and you have to either add value to dump him, or he provided no on court or marketability value and you paid him all that time to let him expire, or trade him for a much worse player on an equally bad contract.


I think it’s a common problem for teams who don’t choose a direction to hold on to a player too long. I would argue the Kings should have traded Barnes a couple years ago when Boston was interested.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#19 » by OxAndFox » Mon Jun 10, 2024 6:29 am

Sactowndog wrote:
vincecarter4pres wrote:
nate33 wrote:
I might do it if the Wizards aren't throwing in their #26, but I would not do the trade as is. If the Wizards can't do better than this with Kuzma, they'll keep him for now and shop him at the Deadline.

Feels Atlanta John Collinsy.

Keep overvaluing a mediocre player even when there’s some legit but probably unwarranted positive value from a handful of teams, hold him too long and eventually everyone comes around and remembers he’s a negative value player, and now you’re stuck with him. Then finally the time comes and you have to either add value to dump him, or he provided no on court or marketability value and you paid him all that time to let him expire, or trade him for a much worse player on an equally bad contract.


I think it’s a common problem for teams who don’t choose a direction to hold on to a player too long. I would argue the Kings should have traded Barnes a couple years ago when Boston was interested.


Yes I would agree with both yourself and Vince on this.
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Re: Still think it might be King Kuzma 

Post#20 » by Laimbeer » Mon Jun 10, 2024 2:18 pm

"ultimate professional" = give us more than he's worth, he's a great guy
Comments to rationalize bad contracts -
1) It's less than the MLE
2) He can be traded later
3) It's only __% of the cap
4) The cap is going up
5) It's only __ years
6) He's a good mentor/locker room guy

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