NBA Rumors: Kyle Kuzma Eyeing $30M Annually on Next Contract; Mavs, Jazz Linked

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Kyle Kuzma is expected to be one of the hottest names on the market this summer after declining his $13 million player option for 2023-24 to become a free agent.

Whichever team hopes to land the former Washington Wizards star will have to cough up a lot of money with the 27-year-old eyeing $30 million annually on his next contract, according to Matt Moore of Action Network.

The Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks are among the teams to have interest in Kuzma, Moore added. The Jazz are “said to be one of the few teams willing to put up big money in various talks early on,” he wrote.

Kuzma spent the first four years of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers before being traded to the Wizards ahead of the 2021-22 season in a deal that sent Russell Westbrook to the Purple and Gold.

The Utah product took his game to the next level in Washington and is coming off the best season of his career in 2022-23. In 64 games, he averaged 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from deep.

Given his development in Washington, Kuzma told reporters in April that he would be open to remaining with the Wizards in 2023-24 and beyond.

“It’s 100 percent an option. … I’ve had a great time here,” Kuzma said. “I’ve developed my game significantly here, and there’s good people here. I’d be a fool to say it’s not an option for me.”

However, that was before the franchise signaled it would be entering a full-scale rebuild when it traded Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns on Monday.

With Washington expected to have little hope of contending for an NBA title in the near future, it seems unlikely that Kuzma will end up back in the nation’s capital, especially if contenders are willing to pay him.