Hawks

Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis are already one of the best big men in the league with the variety of skills they offer on the basketball court. Both bigs are considered top 5 in the position by being the best of the best defensively along with a deep offensive bag. However, if there was one hole in their games that both needed to fill up, it is their three-point shooting.&nbsp;
Both Adebayo and Davis have demonstrated their shooting forms and technical abilities, suggesting they could excel as 3-point shooters. However, neither has historically attempted threes as often as their talent might allow. Now, entering the 2024-25 season, both stars are increasing their 3-point volume as seen in the preseason, and this shift could be the key to elevating their teams to new heights.
Bam Adebayo&rsquo;s ability to impact a game is undeniable. He is one of the best defenders in the league, being known for his defensive versatility and ability to guard all five positions. Adebayo brings value to the Heat with his offensive playmaking from the center position, and over the years he has been the main engine of Miami&rsquo;s offense. But what he&rsquo;s rarely done is consistently shoot from deep. In the 2023-24 NBA season, Adebayo averaged just 0.6 3-point attempts per game, preferring to stick to his mid-range game and finish inside.
However, Adebayo&rsquo;s shooting took a noticeable step forward during the 2024 Olympics, where he averaged 1.5 attempts per game from beyond the arc for Team USA. His confidence seemed to soar after the tournament, and that momentum has carried into the 2024-25 preseason, where he&rsquo;s now taking 3.3 3-point attempts per game.
This increase in volume shows that Adebayo is ready to fully integrate the 3-point shot into his game, something he&rsquo;s always been capable of given his shooting form. With his smooth mechanics and growing confidence, Adebayo&rsquo;s expanded range could be the key to unlocking the Miami Heat&rsquo;s full offensive potential.
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BAM-ing it from downtown 🎯 Bam Adebayo has significantly upped his 3-point attempts from last season to this preseason 😲 2023-24 season ➡️ 0.6 2024 Paris Olympics ➡️ 1.5 2024-25 Preseason ➡️ 3.3 Stretch Bam incoming? 👀 (h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@statmuse</a>) <a href="https://t.co/OxX6yP8v72">pic.twitter.com/OxX6yP8v72</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1846751205386780929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2024</a>
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Similar to Adebayo, Anthony Davis has always had the ability to shoot from deep but hasn&rsquo;t consistently utilized it. Davis proved his 3-point prowess throughout the younger years of his career&mdash;but most notably during the 2019-20 season when he helped lead the Lakers to a championship by shooting 33% from beyond the arc. However, injuries and shifting roles have seen Davis shy away from shooting threes in recent seasons.
In the 2023-24 campaign, Davis averaged just 1.4 3-point attempts per game, a sharp drop from the 3.5 attempts he averaged during that 2020 title run. Like Adebayo, Davis has the form and touch to be a consistent 3-point threat but hasn&rsquo;t taken as many shots from deep as he&rsquo;s capable of.
For the Lakers, a healthy and confident Anthony Davis shooting more threes could be a game-changer. His ability to stretch the floor would open up the lane for LeBron James and the Lakers&rsquo; slashing guards, creating a more dynamic and less predictable offense. If Davis can regain his 3-point shooting form from his championship run, the Lakers will be far more difficult to defend.
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4 THREES FOR AD IN THE FIRST QUARTER 😱<a href="https://t.co/8PxKpnr4ZQ">pic.twitter.com/8PxKpnr4ZQ</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1847103115394535893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 18, 2024</a>
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<h3>Why Does Adebayo and Davis Increasing Their 3-Point Attempts Matter?</h3>
<ol>
<li> Floor Spacing and Offensive Flexibility Both Adebayo and Davis shooting more threes could radically improve their respective teams' floor spacing. For Miami, Adebayo&rsquo;s ability to pull opposing big men out to the perimeter will open up driving lanes for Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, giving the Heat more room to operate. For the Lakers, Davis stretching the defense would allow LeBron to work in a more open paint, while also freeing up shooters like Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura.</li>
<li> Deeper Pick-and-Pop Potential Adebayo and Davis could both become elite pick-and-pop players. Their ability to shoot from mid-range has already made them dangerous in these situations, but adding 3-point range would make them even more difficult to guard. Forcing defenders to decide between contesting their shot or stopping a drive could lead to easy points for their teams.</li>
<li> Defensive Dilemmas for Opponents With both big men capable of hitting threes, opposing defenses will be forced to make tough choices. Typically, teams like to sag off big men who are stationed at the perimeter, allowing them to pack the paint. However, if Adebayo and Davis can hit threes at a consistent rate, defenses will be stretched thin, making it harder to defend both the perimeter and the paint effectively.</li>
</ol>
It&rsquo;s important to note that neither Adebayo nor Davis are bad three point shooters. Both have had excellent shooting forms since early in their careers, but for various reasons&mdash;be it team strategy or personal preference&mdash;they haven&rsquo;t leaned heavily into their perimeter game and added it to their shot diets. Adebayo&rsquo;s shooting mechanics are smooth, and Davis has long been recognized for his soft touch from deep.
The difference now is volume and confidence. Both players have shown they can make threes, and now, with their respective teams needing more floor spacing and offensive versatility, the time is right for them to fully embrace their perimeter games.
While the increased 3-point attempts from Adebayo and Davis are promising, consistency here will be the major factor. Both players will need to prove that they can not only take more threes but also hit them at an efficient rate throughout the long NBA season. Shooting in the preseason or during international competition is one thing; doing so under the pressure of regular-season games and in the playoffs is another.
There&rsquo;s also the question of how this shift in offensive focus will affect their defensive roles. Both Adebayo and Davis are the anchors of their teams&rsquo; defenses, often patrolling the paint and protecting the rim. If they spend more time on the perimeter, it could pull them away from their defensive responsibilities, potentially impacting their teams on that end of the floor. They could also potentially exert more energy on offense when taking these types of shots, and could affect their games on the other end of the floor.
If Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis can fully integrate the 3-point shot into their games, the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers could be looking at major improvements in their offensive efficiency and flexibility. For Miami, Adebayo&rsquo;s ability to space the floor and create more room for Butler and Herro could make them a more dangerous and unpredictable team. For the Lakers, Davis hitting threes at a consistent rate would allow LeBron and the rest of the roster to play more freely and dynamically.
Both players have always had the skill to shoot from deep, but this season may finally be the year where they embrace it fully. And if they do, the Heat and Lakers could be poised for deep playoff runs, with their star big men leading the charge in this new era of positionless basketball.

Bam and AD are increasing their 3-point volume and this shift could be a key to elevating their teams to new heights.

Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis shooting more threes should elevate Heat, Lakers

Fred VanVleet bet on himself, and the Houston Rockets are the beneficiaries.
On an opening night of free agency where most big names &mdash; Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Kyle Kuzma and more &mdash; stayed put, VanVleet is headed to a new home. He agreed to a three-year deal Friday with the Rockets that&rsquo;ll pay him about $130 million, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press.
ESPN first reported the agreement between VanVleet and the Rockets.
VanVleet &mdash; who famously uses the phrase &ldquo;bet on yourself&rdquo; to describe his career trajectory from undrafted player to NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors &mdash; will make about $525,000 per game over the next three seasons.
That nearly matches what he made as a rookie in Toronto, total &mdash; about $550,000.
&ldquo;Love seeing guys getting paid,&rdquo; Boston star Jayson Tatum tweeted.
And a whole bunch of them did on Friday night &mdash; with more to come.
Irving and Luka Doncic are going to try again together in Dallas. Green is going to chase more championships with Stephen Curry in Golden State, just like Middleton is alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
And Jerami Grant is staying put in Portland, for serious money. All those decisions came quickly Friday night as free agency in the NBA got off to its traditional fast and free-spending start &mdash; with roughly $1.5 billion in deals getting struck in about the first three hours alone.
Irving agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal to remain with the Mavericks, who acquired him in a splashy move in February but sputtered down the stretch and missed the playoffs. A person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the agreement to The Associated Press, the deal taking quite possibly the biggest name in free agency off the board.
The Mavs had made clear that keeping Irving was their top priority &mdash; and got it done in the first hour of the NBA&rsquo;s free agency window that opened at 6 p.m. EDT.
&ldquo;DA11AS,&rdquo; Irving tweeted, using his traditional jersey number in there.
Grant is getting $160 million over the next five years, part of a plan that Portland hopes keeps Damian Lillard happy enough to not ask for a trade. Grant is staying put, as is Kuzma in Washington and Cam Johnson in Brooklyn.
Kuzma essentially doubled his annual salary, agreeing to a $102 million, four-year deal with the Wizards. Green got a new contract that&rsquo;ll pay him $100 million over four seasons with the Warriors. Both of those deals &mdash; first reported by ESPN and subsequently confirmed to AP by people with knowledge of the negotiations &mdash; got done very quickly once the offseason player movement window opened.
Kuzma had opted out of a contract that would have paid him $13 million in Washington this coming season; he&rsquo;ll now average $25.5 million over the next four years after scoring 21.2 points per game this past season.
Green staying put keeps him alongside Curry and Klay Thompson with the Warriors, where they have won four titles over the last decade. He opted out of a $27.6 million contract for this coming season, and now is under contract for more years.
Middleton also traded bigger salary in the short term for more years. He could have made $40 million this coming season; instead, he agreed to $102 million over three years to stay with Antetokounmpo and a Bucks team that&rsquo;s only two years removed from an NBA championship.
Johnson &mdash; who flourished and averaged 16.6 points in 25 games with Brooklyn after getting traded there this past season &mdash; is getting a four-year, $108 million deal from the Nets, agent Steve Heumann of CAA confirmed to AP. New Orleans also saw one of its key players stay put; defensive standout Herb Jones agreed to a four-year, $54 million contract.
The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets lost a free agent they wanted to keep, with Bruce Brown agreeing to sign with Indiana, a person with knowledge told AP, on a two-year deal that could be worth $45 million. There is an option affecting the second year.
There was simply nothing the Nuggets could do to compete with that offer &mdash; they could only offer Brown $7.8 million for this season. Brown will average nearly three times that much over the next two years.
The team that Denver beat for that title, the Miami Heat, also lost a key player from their club. Gabe Vincent agreed to a three-year, $33 million deal to join LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers &mdash; who went to the Western Conference finals before falling to the Nuggets. The Lakers also kept Rui Hachimura on a three-year deal worth about $50 million.
The Eastern Conference champion Heat are retaining Kevin Love &mdash; who quickly became a locker room leader after arriving in Miami &mdash; and brought back former Miami guard Josh Richardson. Love is getting $3.7 million this season; both he and Richardson have an option for 2024-25 as well.
Meanwhile, Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero has a new veteran with him in Orlando; Joe Ingles agreed to a two-year, $22 million deal to join the Magic. And Tre Jones will sign a two-year, $20 million deal with the San Antonio Spurs to play alongside No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, agent Kevin Bradbury said.
And once VanVleet picked Houston, the Raptors moved quickly to fill their point guard opening and agreed with Dennis Schroder on a two-year, $26 million deal, according to his representation at Priority Sports. Another point guard was on the move not long afterward; 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose agreed to a deal with Memphis &mdash; the city where he played his one season of college basketball &mdash; in a deal first reported by SNY.

Day 1 of the 2023 NBA free-agency period is in the books. Here's a look at the big moves from Friday.

Fred VanVleet to Houston; many big names stay put early in NBA free agency

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Bradley Beal scored 32 points, Kristaps Porzingis and Monte Morris added 17 apiece and the Washington Wizards shot 70% from the field through the first three quarters of their 127-113 rout of the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night.
Washington led 80-57 after its highest-scoring half of the season. The Wizards gave up the first 10 points of the third quarter, bringing back memories of a couple recent games in which they blew 20-point leads, but they steadied themselves quickly and led 104-88 heading into the fourth.
Washington was able to substitute liberally toward the end &mdash; 13 players appeared for the Wizards &mdash; and a late slide dropped their final shooting percentage down to 64%, costing them a franchise record but setting a season high by a comfortable margin.
&ldquo;We talked about it at halftime &mdash; we&rsquo;re not going to shoot 70% all game,&rdquo; Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;But we still shot pretty well. That was kind of the messaging. Don&rsquo;t get complacent with just making shots.&rdquo;
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Tyrese Haliburton scored 21 points and Myles Turner had 20 for Indiana, which has lost 15 of its last 17.
Washington, which pulled even with Chicago for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, was without Kyle Kuzma because of a sprained left ankle.
The Wizards had 18 turnovers to Indiana&rsquo;s eight and allowed 27 second-chance points, but none of that made much difference with Washington shooting such an incredible percentage. The Wizards shot 73% from 2-point range, 46% from 3 and 86% on free throws.
The Wizards went 15 of 20 from the field in the first quarter &mdash; including 12 of 13 inside the arc &mdash; and led 37-29. It took a little while before Washington really broke the game open, but an 18-4 run late in the first half made it 80-55.
The Wizards have won two in a row following a three-game losing streak in which they led by at least 20 in losses to Portland and Brooklyn. They traded Rui Hachimura recently and acquired Kendrick Nunn, but it was otherwise a quiet trade deadline for Washington.
&ldquo;I think our biggest thing is being healthy,&rdquo; Beal said. &ldquo;This is our team. You can&rsquo;t make any adjustments now. You&rsquo;ve got to ride it out throughout the rest of the year.&rdquo;
CONSISTENCY
Often when a team shoots an unusually high percentage early, it regresses dramatically at some point, but the Wizards shot 75% in the first quarter, 71% in the second and 62% in the third. They finally dipped to 48% in the fourth, missing their final four attempts of the game.
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TIP-INS
Pacers: George Hill and Jordan Nwora, acquired Thursday from Milwaukee in a trade, are expected to suit up for the Pacers next week. ... Daniel Theis (right knee) did not play.
Wizards: Daniel Gafford scored 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting. ... Before Saturday, Washington&rsquo;s top shooting percentage this season was 58% at Philadelphia on Nov. 2. The franchise record is 65.3% on April 8, 2015, also at Philadelphia.
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Bradley Beal scored 32 points, and the Washington Wizards beat the Indiana Pacers 127-113.

Sharp-shooting Wizards score 80 in half, rout Pacers 127-113

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to help the Washington Wizards rally for a 108-103 victory over the Houston Rockets Wednesday night.
The Wizards trailed by as many 19 points and were down by 10 to open the fourth quarter before Kuzma took over.
The Wizards scored the first eight points of the fourth to start a 15-2 run that gave them an 86-83 lead with about eight minutes left. The Wizards made five free throws in that span and Kuzma had 10 points with two 3-pointers.
Tari Eason made a layup for Houston after that before Kuzma made two more 3-pointers in less than a minute to power an 8-0 run that pushed Washington&rsquo;s lead to 94-85.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen it from him,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;Once he gets going he&rsquo;s shooting into a big bucket. We needed it. We trust to put the ball in his hands in these moments and he&rsquo;s come up big for us.&rdquo;
Houston&rsquo;s Alperen Sengun had 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double. Jalen Green had 19 points on 6-of-19 shooting after scoring a career-high 42 points Tuesday night against Minnesota in a win that snapped a 13-game skid.
&ldquo;Late third quarter we got away from the things that are about winning, about building winning habits, about taking the right shot, about making the right path, and we&rsquo;ve got to be better,&rdquo; coach Stephen Silas said. &ldquo;Young and inexperienced and all that, we&rsquo;ve got to do better.&rdquo;
Four points by the Rockets got them within four with less than 30 seconds to go before Bradley Beal made two free throws to make it 107-101. A dunk by Kenyon Martin Jr. cut the lead to four again with seven seconds to go but Kuzma made 1 of 2 free throws to seal the victory.
After the poor start to the fourth quarter, Houston got going, using an 7-2 run, with two dunks from Martin, to cut the lead to 96-92 with 4 1/2 minutes left.
But the Wizards scored the next five points to make it 100-92 with three minutes to go.
Eric Gordon made a basket for Houston after that but another 3 by Kuzma extended Washington&rsquo;s lead to 105-97 with less than a minute to go.
Unseld was disappointed in how his team started the game but impressed with the way his guys bounced back.
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&ldquo;Not the prettiest game,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t have the energy in that first half&hellip; but to their credit they responded after halftime. In that fourth quarter we really ramped it up.&rdquo;
The Rockets were up by 15 at halftime and had a 13-point lead with about eight minutes left in the third. The Wizards then used a 10-2 spurt to cut the lead to 66-61 with about 6 1/2 minutes left in the quarter. Corey Kispert had five points during that stretch and Kuzma capped it with a 3-point play.
Houston scored the next six points, with four from Jae&rsquo;Sean Tate, to extend the lead to 72-61 with less than four minutes to go in the quarter.
Newcomer Kendrick Nunn made a 3-pointer for Washington after that, and Green added four points for the Rockets before another 3 by Nunn cut Houston&rsquo;s lead to 76-67.
The Rockets added a basket before a 4-0 run by the Wizards, highlighted by a dunk from Kuzma cut the deficit to 78-71.
But Houston scored the last three points of the quarter to take an 81-71 lead into the fourth.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Kristaps Porzingis missed a second straight game with an ankle injury. &hellip; Monte Morris sat out with a sore right hamstring. &hellip;
Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr. missed a seventh consecutive game with a bruised left foot. &hellip; Garrison Mathews received a flagrant foul early in the third quarter for a hit on Daniel Gafford, that sent him tumbling to the court. ... Beal had 17 points.
NUNN&rsquo;S DEBUT
Nunn made his Washington debut after being part of the trade from the Lakers for Rui Hachimura Tuesday. He had 12 points.
Unseld liked what he saw from his new player.
&ldquo;I thought he was good,&rdquo; Unseld said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough because we haven&rsquo;t had a full practice. But he just played to his strengths. He&rsquo;s a good player. He&rsquo;s got the ability to fill it up.&rdquo;
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Kyle Kuzma scored 20 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter as the Washington Wizards got a 108-103 win over the Houston Rockets.

Kyle Kuzma has 33 points, Wizards beat Rockets 108-103

On Monday afternoon, news broke that the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-reaction-exploring-rui-hachimura-fit-with-los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-anthony-davis-washington-wizards-kendrick-nunn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Washington Wizards were trading fan favorite Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers</a>. It's a move that shocked and disappointed many Wizards fans, who had high hopes for their team's ninth overall draft pick just four years ago.
Hachimura had been averaging 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game this season, just coming off of a season-high 30-point game off the bench in a blowout win over the Orlando Magic this past weekend.
The Wizards did avoid having to take on any long-term salaries in the trade &mdash; and didn't give away any of their draft picks &mdash; but it failed to tip the scale of disappointment for Wizards fans, who looked at Hachimura as being an integral part of the team&rsquo;s future.
I caught up with <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewGooden?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Gooden</a>, a 14-year NBA veteran who formerly played for the Washington Wizards and is now an analyst for NBC Sports Washington and Monumental Sports to analyze this trade.
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screenshot-2023-01-25-at-12-43-03-2b6rbaloibfgflkd6yo2k4knzy-jpg-webp-image-5000-2813-pixels-scaled-29__690w.png" alt="" />
Etan Thomas: What was your reaction to the trade? Rui was really a fan favorite, and a lot of people in the DMV really didn&rsquo;t see this coming and have been voicing their opinions on this, but what was your reaction?&nbsp;
Drew Gooden: "It was strictly business. Like you said, he&rsquo;s a fan favorite and Rui had a window to get better on both sides of the ball both offensively and defensively. He just scored 30 points against the Orlando Magic. So we know what Rui could provide right now and potentially for the future. But I believe this was strictly a business decision the Wizards had to make in order to have the possibility of re-signing Kyle Kuzma in the offseason."
Etan: So, I&rsquo;ve heard people say that and do you think that&rsquo;s all it boils down to? The Wizards had to make this move to free up cap space? I saw they made the point clear that they were not entertaining any calls or inquiries for Kuz as we approach this trade deadline.
Gooden: "Absolutely, this wasn&rsquo;t personal at all. But truth be told, I think this is a great opportunity for Rui. Not only from a business standpoint of getting an extension and becoming part of a great organization in the Los Angeles Lakers, but the relationship that his agent has with Rob Pelinka; there is a business relationship already established there. And he gets the chance to play with one of the best players ever to play the game in LeBron James. And he&rsquo;ll be able to learn under LeBron just like Kyle Kuzma was able to learn under LeBron, so I think this is a positive for Rui.
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"And there was some pressure for him to sign his extension. Because if you look at the 2019 draft class and you look at all the guys who have received their extensions &mdash; and these are different players that I&rsquo;m going to list off &mdash; but you have Zion [Williamson], Ja Morant, RJ Barrett, De'Andre Hunter &mdash; the fourth pick &mdash; signed his extension, Darius Garland signed his rookie max extension with Cleveland. So these guys are trying to get locked in, and there is peer pressure &mdash; and you know this &mdash; when you see guys that you got drafted with already getting their extensions, but you haven&rsquo;t gotten yours yet. It&rsquo;s added pressure for you as a player from a business standpoint. And you&rsquo;re looking at your team like, 'Why are these other guys getting paid, but I&rsquo;m not?' and, 'Why are you not investing in me and showing your faith in me?' And unfortunately, the Washington Wizards just weren&rsquo;t in a position to do that."
Etan: I&rsquo;ve heard this in conversation, so let me repeat what the word on the street is. Many people have pointed to the fact that the Wizards have developed almost a pattern of not re-signing their draft picks. In fact, the last Wizards pick to earn an extension was Otto Porter Jr., and he was drafted was a decade ago.
Gooden: "Yeah, I have noticed that. But in this case, Kyle Kuzma just threw a monkey wrench in all of the plans with his play. He has shown that he can actually carry the team when Bradley Beal is out; that&rsquo;s invaluable. And you have another situation in [Kristaps] Porzingis that you may have to be confronted with because he can opt out (in late June before free agency starts) &mdash; now, what happens if he opts out? I&rsquo;m sure the Wizards would love to re-sign both of them, but they have to be in a financial situation where they could possibly do that, and honestly, that&rsquo;s the only reason for this trade. It&rsquo;s a strategic move; not personal, just business."
Etan: Let me ask you this &mdash; and of course, it&rsquo;s hard to predict &mdash; but how likely would you say it is that Kuzma does re-sign with the Wizards in the offseason? Because that&rsquo;s what&rsquo;s on everybody&rsquo;s mind right now. You&rsquo;ve traded this young talent who is a fan favorite, and what happens if Kuzma doesn&rsquo;t re-sign with the Wizards?
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Kyle Kuzma's 30 points power the <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WashWizards</a> to victory in Dallas! <a href="https://t.co/EAyAPAuZgY">pic.twitter.com/EAyAPAuZgY</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1618237375422799872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Gooden: "It&rsquo;s, 'What&rsquo;s that magical number that could get the job done? What will make Kuzma sign that deal and stay in DC?' Because he will be an unrestricted free agent. I believe he could maximize his earnings staying with the Wizards. They <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/washington-wizards/kyle-kuzma-23622/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do have his Bird Rights</a>. That&rsquo;s the hope, that&rsquo;s the strategy and the Wizards have to do everything in their power to put themselves in the position to be able to make that happen, and that&rsquo;s all they can control."
Etan: What does Kendrick Nunn bring to the table?&nbsp;
Gooden: "This is an interesting situation. In my years past looking at these trades &mdash; and giving up someone like Rui and getting draft picks and a guy with an expiring contract &mdash; it&rsquo;s probably another business decision. I&rsquo;m not sure if there is going to be a future here for him or not. But, maybe he&rsquo;ll get a shot and bring something to the table where he changes people&rsquo;s minds, which is very possible. That&rsquo;s what Kyle Kuzma did. He changed the narrative and made the organization shift their plans. Nunn could do that, even with the packed point guards (room) we currently have.
"But I know for a fact that (Nunn) can put the ball in the hole. His time in Miami, he was a 15-plus-point scorer in this league; I saw him with my own eyes in real time. He can catch waves throughout the course of a game and really take over games. So if he has that opportunity to play and show what he can do, there&rsquo;s no doubt in my mind that he can play at a high level. It&rsquo;s just the clutter of all of the point guards on the roster right now. So we&rsquo;ll see what happens."
Etan: Right. It will definitely be interesting to see. Okay, last question. Where do you think the Wizards end up this year? Of course, they have to stay healthy. That&rsquo;s one of the main things. But what is the ceiling or possibility for them this season?
Gooden: "Well, the Play-In Tournament I believe doesn&rsquo;t allow teams to let go of the rope down the stretch of the season. In the past, some teams may get to that point where they&rsquo;re thinking more of improving their chances in the lottery. This is an interesting window, and someone just asked me this question the other day.
"They asked, 'What is the Wizards identity?' And you know what? They haven&rsquo;t been whole the entire season. You have had small sample sizes where you had Porzingis, Beal and Kuzma all on the floor together, but nothing consistent this entire season. But one thing I know &mdash; they have a chance to win every given night no matter who is on the floor. They&rsquo;re a team that won&rsquo;t allow themselves to let go of the rope."

Etan Thomas speaks with Wizards analyst and former 14-year NBA pro Drew Gooden to analyze the Rui Hachimura trade with LA.

Drew Gooden: Wizards trading Hachimura to LA 'strategic, not personal'

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points and made one of two free throws to break a tie with 4.2 seconds remaining, lifting the Washington Wizards to a 127-126 victory over Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Luka Doncic had 41 points and 15 rebounds for the Mavericks. Doncic still had on the jersey he ripped when he missed a free throw that would have put Dallas in front with 12.5 seconds to go when he bumped Kumza on a drive along the sideline.
The Mavericks challenged, but the call was confirmed. Kuzma missed the first free throw but swished the second.
&ldquo;I think there was some debate about whether he stepped out, whether he (was) fouled,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;Thankfully, fouled. Those types of situations happen fast. You&rsquo;ve got to make a split-second decision.&rdquo;
Doncic tried twice to pass to Spencer Dinwiddie out of a double team on the final possession. The Wizards knocked the first out of bounds, and former Maverick Delon Wright stole the second to seal the victory.
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&ldquo;Luka had the right intention, was making the right play,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said. &ldquo;Delon just made a good play with his hands, something he&rsquo;s known for.&rdquo;
Kristaps Porzingis was out with an ankle injury in his first trip to Dallas since the Mavericks traded him to the Wizards last February for Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.
The 7-foot-3 Latvian, whose pairing with Doncic never worked the way Dallas envisioned, received light applause after a video tribute during the break between the first and second quarters.
It was Washington&rsquo;s first game since sending Rui Hachimura to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kendrick Nunn and draft picks. Nunn was available but didn&rsquo;t play.
The Wizards opened a five-game trip with a third consecutive victory while Dallas finished a 1-3 homestand with its eighth loss in 11 games.
Washington swept the two-game series for the second consecutive season after going 14 years without a sweep of Dallas.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s easy to get excited about one performance. We&rsquo;ve got along road trip ahead,&rdquo; Unseld said. &ldquo;It could be a catalyst for something, to be a little short-handed, able to compete on the road, an area which we&rsquo;ve struggled at times.&rdquo;
Bradley Beal scored 22 points with a 3-pointer that was one of three lead changes in the final three minutes. Deni Avdija had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Dwight Powell scored a season-high 22 points with nine rebounds for Dallas. Dinwiddie had 20 points and eight assists.
Josh Green made his first seven shots and finished with 16 points, the most for the Dallas guard in four games since returning from a 20-game absence with a right elbow sprain.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Daniel Gafford played 19 minutes before fouling out with 6:32 remaining, getting nine points with seven rebounds. ... Corey Kispert scored 14 points, Monte Morris had 13 and Wright had 10 points, six assists and three steals.
Mavericks: F Christian Wood missed his third game since breaking his left thumb in a loss to Atlanta. The team has said he would be re-evaluated this week. ... Dorian Finney-Smith scored 12 points.
MISSED &rsquo;EM BOTH
Porzingis also missed the first meeting against his former team in Washington, won by the Wizards 113-105. He was out with a left groin strain for that November game. He&rsquo;s listed as week-to-week after spraining his left ankle Saturday against Orlando.
UP NEXT
Wizards: All three Texas cities are part of the five-game trip, with Houston next to finish a back-to-back Wednesday. The Rockets swept the two-game set with Wizards last season. The San Antonio stop is after a trip to New Orleans.
Mavericks: A two-game trip starts Thursday in Phoenix, where Dallas blew a 22-point lead in the second half of a 107-105 loss in the season opener.
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Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points, lifting the Washington Wizards to a 127-126 victory over Dallas Mavericks.

Kuzma FT lifts Wizards over Mavs 127-126 despite Doncic’s 41

If you had the Los Angeles Lakers bolstering their forward room before the trade deadline &mdash; and sending off multiple future picks to do it &mdash; you can pat yourself on the back.
Don't pat too hard, though, because I doubt you had this deal on the bingo card.&nbsp;
On Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-news-report-los-angeles-lakers-finalizing-trade-to-acquire-washington-wizards-rui-hachimura-kendrick-nunn-kyle-kuzma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lakers were acquiring former lottery pick Rui Hachimura</a> from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second round picks &mdash; a 2023 second via Chicago (looking real top-40ish), the least favorable of LA or Washington's 2028 second rounder and LA's 2029 second-rounder.
More of a starter trade than a star trade, but you have to crawl before you walk.
The optics of this deal aren't great for Washington; it's not fun trading away a somewhat recent top-10 pick for three second-rounders and a bench guard you don't have long-term belief in. That doesn't mean the move was thoughtless.
Replacing Hachimura's salary with Nunn's makes the Wizards' tax figure a little easier to deal with this season &mdash; they're now $1.3 million below the tax line, <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/spots/lakers-make-low-risk-gamble-on-rui-hachimura-1753/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Keith Smith</a> &mdash; which could make them a candidate for more deals before the deadline. And if there was no intention of retaining Hachimura in the offseason, it's best to get&nbsp;something&nbsp;for him.
(And speaking of the offseason: It's clear the Wizards are gearing up to retain Kyle Kuzma, the former Laker who's blossomed into a multifaceted player.)
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The Laker side is more fun to think about.
They've needed reinforcements for a while, especially in the frontcourt. Prior to the deal, LeBron James was really the only bulky, athletic forward on the roster. The slight-bodied nature of the Lakers' wing/forward room has been an issue all season long. Hachimura won't solve that by himself, but he serves as a step in the right direction.
I'm curious to see how Hachimura slots in defensively. He's a mixed bag on the non-glamour end, able to bang and slide with 4s, and manage well enough against 3s. At worst, he should be able to funnel twitchier wings inside to Anthony Davis once he makes his return.&nbsp;
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To be clear, the Lakers do not (or at least should not) view Hachimura as an on-ball stopper. If he can serve as an innings eater of sorts, that will allow LeBron and Davis (when healthy) to patrol the back line. The collective size and length of those three &mdash; combined with the screen navigation they get up top from Dennis Schroder &mdash; should be the foundation of a solid defensive unit.
Beyond his stature, Hachimura's skill set should be useful for the Lakers. He's a load to deal with when getting downhill. That really shines through in transition, where he's generated 1.19 points per possession (PPP) on transition opportunities over the past two seasons per InStat tracking.
The Lakers rank sixth in the league in transition frequency per Cleaning The Glass, and seventh in the league in pace. Their willingness to push off misses and turnovers should vibe well with Hachimura. That intention picks up when Russell Westbrook is on the floor, an important note considering their time together in Washington.
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In the half-court, expect Hachimura to make his money as a complementary piece. He's shown the ability to punish sloppy closeouts by mixing in strong drives with mid-range pull-ups.&nbsp;
His propensity for turnarounds lead to underwhelming results against mismatches, but he's still someone teams shouldn't feel&nbsp;comfortable&nbsp;stashing smaller players against.
The swing skill for Hachimura will be his three-ball. This is a Laker team starved of reliable shooters &mdash; not just in terms of efficiency, but players that defenses allocate extra attention to. Hachimura hasn't accomplished the latter yet, and his efficiency has continued to fluctuate.
He drilled 44.7% of his threes last season, and was even better when filtering for catch-and-shoot looks (47.0%). The volume just wasn't high enough for it to matter (2.7 catch-and-shoot attempts on 2.9 overall per game), especially when considering his previous reputation. It doesn't help that Hachimura is down to 33.3% on catch-and-shoot looks this season, in line with the first two seasons of his career (32.1%).&nbsp;
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In order for this trade to pop offensively, Hachimura will have to ramp up his aggression against smaller defenders &mdash; someone with Hachimura's physical gifts drawing 38 shooting fouls over his last 70 games is hard to reckon with &mdash; or become a much more willing (and efficient) shooter from deep. Ideally, the Lakers get both, and I don't think either is out of the question.
Hachimura has shooting touch worth believing in. It's also not like Hachimura has dealt with the cleanest path of half-court development once you factor in roster changes, coaching changes and the start-and-stop nature of his availability the past three seasons.&nbsp;
With the Lakers, he'll have space to explore. LeBron will always draw two to the ball. There will be catch-and-shoot chances and catch-and-drive pockets.&nbsp;
Zooming out, this is a reasonable gamble for the Lakers considering the price point. If you can get someone with Hachimura's skill set and traits while giving up one (1) asset of moderate consequence (Chicago's second rounder), it's worth exploring.
Though Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers plan to retain Hachimura for the long haul, they also didn't give up enough to "force" them into that decision if he proves to be a poor fit.

Nekias Duncan analyzes how Rui Hachimura's acquisition can help the Lakers and the role he'll need to fill.

Exploring Rui Hachimura's fit with the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers have completed a trade that will bring in Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura in exchange for Kendrick Nunn and three second-round draft picks.
"Adding both size and depth to the wing position has been a goal, and the chance to accomplish that by acquiring a player with Rui&rsquo;s two-way skills and upside was an opportunity that doesn&rsquo;t present itself often," Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersReporter/status/1617665267412393984?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rob Pelinka said</a>.
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OFFICIAL: Welcome to the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LakeShow?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LakeShow</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/rui_8mura?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rui_8mura</a>! <a href="https://t.co/STh8mBsbpP">pic.twitter.com/STh8mBsbpP</a>
&mdash; Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1617664220690280448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The news was first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and the initial framework of the deal was reported by The Athletic's Shams Charania.
The specific picks involved are the Chicago Bulls' 2023 second-rounder, LA's 2029 second-rounder and the less favorable second-rounder between the Lakers and Wizards in 2028.
Hachimura recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wizards-rui-hachimura-dances-around-whether-he-wants-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">danced around the subject of whether he wanted a trade</a> in his latest media session with the Wizards on Saturday, keeping a vague stance when asked about his name in talks. He was also excused from practice on Monday for personal reasons.
Hachimura and Washington were unable to reach a rookie contract extension before the season and this, coupled with Kyle Kuzma's emergence, increased the likelihood of a trade. Also, according to Wojnarowski, the Lakers intend on signing Hachimura, a restricted free agent, to a contract extension this summer.
On the season, Hachimura is averaging 13.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, knocking down a career-best 54.5% of his two-point shots.

The Lakers and Wizards have completed a deal that will bring Rui Hachimura to Los Angeles.

Lakers acquire Rui Hachimura from Wizards for Kendrick Nunn, picks

Rui Hachimura had one of his best games of the season in the Washington Wizards' win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday. The 24-year-old finished with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocks while shooting an efficient 59.1% from the field and 60.0% from three.
However, it was Hachimura's postgame press conference that turned heads last night.
Several days after The Athletic's Josh Robbins <a href="https://theathletic.com/4103918/2023/01/18/wizards-rui-hachimura-trade-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Wizards have talked with multiple teams about a potential Hachimura trade, the fourth-year forward was asked about his uncertain future in Washington.
When asked whether he wants to be traded, Hachimura smiled, raised his eyebrows and said, "I don't know."
Does he think he'll get traded? "I guess," Hachimura responded. "I mean, I don't know."
Finally, when asked if he requested a trade, Hachimura smiled and said, "No comment."
&ldquo;I just want to be somewhere that wants me as a basketball player," Hachimura <a href="https://twitter.com/hoop_district/status/1617002959606349824?s=46&amp;t=EiWak6pGE0tExZU35SYlPg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. "I want to be somewhere that likes my game. I just got to play my game. I know what I can do and I can help the team to wins. It's either here or other teams.&rdquo;
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Rui Hachimura on if he wants a trade: [Raises eyebrows], &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know,&rdquo; [laughs]. On if he thinks he will be traded: &ldquo;I guess, I mean I don&rsquo;t know.&rdquo; On if he asked for a trade: &ldquo;No comment [smiles].&rdquo; <a href="https://t.co/q8PDffLcrv">pic.twitter.com/q8PDffLcrv</a>
&mdash; Hoop District (@Hoop_District) <a href="https://twitter.com/Hoop_District/status/1617004002335416322?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Hachimura is certainly a name to watch as the Feb. 9 trade deadline approaches.
The Wizards have also reportedly had trade conversations centered around Kyle Kuzma (and our Nekias Duncan <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trade-rumors-examining-destinations-for-kyle-kuzma-washington-wizards-phoenix-suns-los-angeles-clippers-milwaukee-bucks-cavaliers-heat-hawks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently broke down some possible destinations for him</a>).
This season, Hachimura is averaging 12.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 24.3 minutes per game, while shooting 48.8% from the field, 33.7% from three and 75.9% from the free-throw line. He is set to hit restricted free agency this offseason.
The Wizards are currently 20-26, which is the 11th-best record in the Eastern Conference. Washington has the NBA's 16th-ranked defense (allowing 111.3 points per 100 possessions) and 21st-ranked offense (scoring 110.7 points per 100 possessions).

When asked whether he wants to be traded, Wizards forward Rui Hachimura smiled, raised his eyebrows and said, "I don't know."

Wizards' Rui Hachimura dances around whether he wants trade

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Rui Hachimura equaled a career high with 30 points and Kyle Kuzma added 25 to lift the Washington Wizards to a 138-118 victory over the Orlando Magic on Saturday night.
Bradley Beal scored 17 points in his second game back from a hamstring injury, although Kristaps Porzingis left the game in the third quarter with a left ankle sprain.
&ldquo;He'll be evaluated tomorrow. We'll see where it is,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. &ldquo;I don't think it's too bad, but fingers crossed.&rdquo;
Porzingis scored 17 points.
Washington has won seven straight against the Magic. The Wizards never trailed in this one. A dunk by Daniel Gafford capped a 10-0 run that gave Washington a 37-23 advantage near the end of the first quarter.
&ldquo;We just didn't have the physicality tonight that we needed. There was just a different level of energy." Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;We didn't have our presence and our physicality early, with the ball pressure that we needed, and so they were comfortable stepping into each one of their shots.&rdquo;
Hachimura went to work in the second, scoring 10 points in a span of under 2 1/2 minutes. His second of two quick 3-pointers gave Washington a 52-32 lead.
&ldquo;He was terrific. I loved his aggression off the bench," Unseld said. &ldquo;I think once he sees one or two go in, it kind of gets him going.&rdquo;
Unseld took Hachimura out with 2:14 remaining, needing one more point for a new career high.
&ldquo;I just was worried," Unseld said. "Last thing we need is for someone else to go down.&rdquo;
The Wizards won their second straight game with Beal back &mdash; and he had eight assists on the night &mdash; but now they have another injury to deal with. Porzingis hobbled down the tunnel after hurting his ankle and didn't return.
Markelle Fultz led the Magic with 23 points. Franz Wagner contributed 20 and Paolo Banchero scored 15.
Delon Wright scored 15 points with eight assists and shot 5 of 5 from the field for Washington.
TIP-INS
Magic: Orlando fell to 1-8 this season in the second game of a back-to-back. The Magic were coming off <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-pelicans-orlando-magic-nba-sports-jalen-suggs-bd9c6f4cc14296f6949daf8623ba4af4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 123-110 win</a> over New Orleans on Friday night.
Wizards: Kuzma reached 20 points for the 30th time this season, a career high. He did it 29 times in 2018-19 with the Los Angeles Lakers. ... The Wizards went 18 for 34 from 3-point range. ... Washington shot 54% from the field and had seven players in double figures. Gafford scored 14 points. ... The Wizards had 34 assists and eight turnovers.
UP NEXT
Magic: Host Boston on Monday night.
Wizards: Visit Dallas on Tuesday night.

Rui Hachimura equaled a career high with 30 points and Kyle Kuzma added 25 to lift the Wizards to a 138-118 victory over the Magic.

Hachimura scores 30 to lead Wizards over Magic 138-118

The Washington Wizards have spoken with multiple teams centered around forward Rui Hachimura, according to <a href="https://theathletic.com/4103918/2023/01/18/wizards-rui-hachimura-trade-options/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania and Josh Robbins of The Athletic</a>.
Their sources say that the 24-year-old, who will become a restricted free agent in July, has drawn interest from "several Western Conference teams in need of scoring".&nbsp;
Meanwhile, the Wizards continue to get plenty of interest in Kyle Kuzma around the league but the team still hopes to keep him long-term. If the Wizards trade Hachimura, it would help their rotation at the forward spots and also put the team in a better position financially going forward, especially with trying to re-sign Kuzma.
Hachimura has dealt with injuries in each of his four seasons in the league, including 16 games this season. However, he has played well when healthy, averaging 12.9 points and 4.4 rebounds. He's making $6.26M this season and will eligible for a qualifying offer of nearly $8M for next season.
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The Washington Wizards are reportedly exploring trade options for forward Rui Hachimura ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

Wizards considering possible Rui Hachimura trades

We have an MVP on the move, folks!
There's been a ton of smoke surrounding the New York Liberty landing a superstar this offseason. To the surprise of many, Breanna Stewart isn't&nbsp;the player heading to the northeast.
That honor goes to Jonquel Jones.
<a href="https://twitter.com/RachGall/status/1614741260493000704?s=20&amp;t=OsIqYHBdRYlwRpzsvN8M3g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">First reported</a> by Rachel Galligan of Winsidr, the Sun are trading the 2021 MVP to the Liberty as part of a three-team deal. Howard Megdal of The Next came through shortly after with the <a href="https://twitter.com/howardmegdal/status/1614753296064942082?s=20&amp;t=OsIqYHBdRYlwRpzsvN8M3g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">outline for the deal</a>.
Liberty receive: Jonquel Jones (CON), Kayla Thornton (DAL)
Wings receive: Natasha Howard (NYL), rights to Crystal Dangerfield (NYL)
Sun receive: No. 6 overall pick, Rebecca Allen (NYL), Ty Harris (DAL)
And before you could quizzically ask, "Wait, that's it?" about the Jones return for Connecticut, we got the she-asked-for-this nugget from ESPN's Alexa Philippou:
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BREAKING: Jonquel Jones is being traded to the New York Liberty, sources confirm to ESPN. The 2021 WNBA MVP with the Connecticut Sun requested the trade specifically to NY.<a href="https://twitter.com/RachGall?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RachGall</a> had it first
&mdash; Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexaphilippou/status/1614753043949535235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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So, wow. Superstar trades are fun. Superstar trades before free agency begins are even more fun, and help set up a good deal of (potential) fireworks.
On the Sun's side, Jones' departure actually helps them retain their top free agent. Brionna Jones, two-time All-Star and reigning Sixth Woman of the Year, was set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. With Jones heading to the Liberty, the Sun plan to use the core designation on Bri Jones, giving them exclusive negotiation rights &mdash; and locking in a one-year max offer for Jones, unless her and the Sun agree to a long-term deal.
Beyond that, I like the pieces the Sun added, even if the return still falls short of Jones' status in the league.
Harris should give the Sun another steady hand at point guard, something they lacked with Jasmine Thomas missing most of last season due to injury. That placed a heavier creation burden on All-World forward Alyssa Thomas, who practically served as the de facto point guard. With Harris providing depth, the Sun should have an easier time building cohesion in the half-court.&nbsp;
For a team that didn't take many threes &mdash; the Sun ranked 11th in three-point rate (26.1% of shot attempts) but third in percentage (35.4%) &mdash; Rebecca Allen could be a godsend. She's drained 37.2% of his threes over the past three seasons, an impressive mark considering a dip in efficiency last season (31.3% on 3.3 attempts per game). She cares very little about shot contests, and has a knack for finding space off the ball. It's easy to envision her presence taking pressure off of others, particularly in the half-court.
(Are you sensing a theme here?)
The Wings being included as the third team was interesting. There have been rumblings <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-trade-rumors-news-dallas-wings-forward-allisha-gray-expected-to-be-traded-connecticut-sun-chicago-sky-washington-mystics-atlanta-dream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">about their own star talent</a> (Allisha Gray) potentially being moved over the offseason. For the Wings to land an actual All-Star in Natasha Howard was a pleasant surprise.&nbsp;
Howard's a versatile talent, able to pop or roll as the ball screener, put the ball on the deck against larger opponents, and bully her way to the basket against smaller ones. Her activity on the defensive end, notably her quick hands, allows her to play in &mdash; or quarterback the back end of &mdash; more aggressive coverages. That could become important depending on who her frontcourt partner will be this season.
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Former Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield is a walking (running?) paint touch that could serve as a nice replacement to Ty Harris. She was able to find life as a complementary piece to Sabrina Ionescu last season, with her ability to pressure the rim helping to unlock Ionescu as an off-ball threat. She could provide similar value playing alongside Arike Ogunbowale or Marina Mabrey whenever the other is on the bench.
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Of course, the true winners of the deal are the Liberty.&nbsp;
Jones is, at worst, one of the six best players in The W. Even in a down year statistically &mdash; one that says more about the re-emergence of Alyssa Thomas, and a little bit about the inconsistent usage of Jones &mdash; Jones still earned All-WNBA and All-Defensive Second Team honors.
Players the size of Jones aren't supposed to be able to move the way she does, shoot the way she does or handle the way she does. That she can blend all of that together makes her one of the most difficult covers in the league.
On one possession, you can find Jones bullying some poor defender on the block. On another, you can find her spaced on the perimeter, one pass away from another post-up or a ball screen. A kick to her can lead to a three (that defenders have no chancd of contesting, thanks to her release point), or a catch-and-drive that most bigs in the league aren't equipped to deal with.&nbsp;
If you want to get fancy, you can run Jones off of screens. I don't mean simple cross screens to clear a side for a post-up or isolation &mdash; though you can obviously do that. You can run Jones off pindowns, off staggers, use her as the third&nbsp;screener in Spain pick-and-roll actions or anything else you can think of because of her footwork and ability to shoot off movement.
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And on other possessions, you don't even have to draw up anything. Because of her defensive prowess, she can kickstart her own offense by grabbing a board and pushing the ball in the open floor.
In short, Jones is an absolute monster.
Pairing her with Ionescu &mdash; one of the best pick-and-roll ball-handlers in the league to put it lightly &mdash; is patently unfair. Jones hasn't played with a ball-handler this dynamic; Ionescu hasn't a screening partner like this, and certainly hasn't played with a big who can clean up messes on the other end like (an engaged) Jones can.
But not only did the Liberty land Jones, but they were also able to snag Kayla Thornton from Dallas as well. The Liberty were a middling defense last season (No. 7 in defensive rating), but struggled on the perimeter. Adding Thornton, a multi-positional defender who can disrupt things on and off the ball, should help shore things up. Having Jones, Thornton and a healthy Betnijah Laney should give the Liberty a solid foundation.
There will be questions up and down the board. The Sun will need to nail the sixth overall pick if they keep it &mdash; much like they did with Jones in 2016 &mdash; to make the fan base feel better. You don't really replace an MVP, but it's hard to overstate just how much scoring gravity (and versatility) is walking out the door. Bri Jones can capture a good bit of the interior force, but shooting will still be a question mark overall.
Howard is certainly a talent upgrade, but it's worth wondering just how fluidly the offense will operate. Thornton is a lesser offensive talent, but her ability to fill gaps complemented the Ogunbowale-Mabrey backcourt. Howard will require more touches &mdash; obviously fine, but it's worth noting she isn't, say, Candace Parker as a high post passing hub. There will likely be some growing pains.
There's less to question on the Liberty front, but implementing Jones may not be an early slam dunk. Even with Ionescu shifting more off the ball in the second half of the year, she still finished in the top 10 in usage rate &mdash; and, if the tracking were available, I'd bet she ranked just as highly in touches per game. Jones wasn't always utilized as frequently as an MVP should be &mdash; something I imagine factored at least somewhat into her desire to be traded.
Still, it's hard not to be excited about &mdash; or terrified of &mdash; what the Liberty can become. Per Myles Ehrlich of Winsidr, the Liberty actually&nbsp;<a href="https://winsidr.com/2023/01/trade-report-jonquel-jones-to-liberty-in-a-three-team-deal-between-ny-connecticut-and-dallas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created&nbsp;more cap space</a> with this trade. The rumors of Stewart in New York aren't dead.
And if the Liberty are able to land Jones and Stewart in the same offseason... whew, buddy, I don't know what you do with that kind of star power.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan looks Sunday's three-team mega trade involving Jonquel Jones from all angles.

WNBA trade: Connecticut Sun star Jonquel Jones heads to New York Liberty

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, including a couple crucial free throws with 13.9 seconds left, and the New York Knicks held off a furious Washington rally in a 112-108 victory over the Wizards on Friday night.
Julius Randle had 23 points and 16 rebounds for the Knicks, who won for the sixth time in seven games. He also provided the game's biggest highlight with his left-handed dunk in the third quarter over Washington's Daniel Gafford.
The Knicks went on a 14-0 run early in the fourth, and they still led 105-94 with 2 minutes remaining before Washington nearly took the game back. A layup by Kyle Kuzma cut the lead to three with 27 seconds remaining, and then Randle made just one of two free throws.
Kuzma was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left, but he made only two of three attempts from the line. Then Brunson made both of his free throws to make it 110-106.
Kuzma and Rui Hachimura missed at the other end, and two more free throws by Brunson made it a six-point game with 3.5 seconds to play. Kuzma then made a shot at the buzzer to finish with 40 points on the night.
Kristaps Porzingis contributed 21 points for Washington, which lost for the fourth time in five games.
The Wizards trailed 80-79 early in the fourth before they went about 3 1/2 minutes without scoring. A three-point play by RJ Barrett put New York up by eight, and Isaiah Hartenstein followed with a dunk for the first double-digit lead by either team.
A jumper by Brunson and a three-point play by Immanuel Quickley made it 94-79.
The Wizards are still without Bradley Beal because of a hamstring injury.
In the third quarter, Randle dunked over Gafford, who ended up on the floor and was also whistled for a foul on the play. Randle's free throw put New York up 69-64, although the Wizards scored six straight after that.
TIP-INS
Knicks: Quickley scored 18 points and Barrett scored 17. ... Brunson had eight rebounds and eight assists.
Wizards: Beal missed a fourth consecutive game. ... Monte Morris (right hamstring) did not play either.

Jalen Brunson scored 34 points, and the New York Knicks held off a furious Washington rally in a 112-108 victory over the Wizards

Knicks hold off Wizards 112-108 despite Kyle Kuzma's 40

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Giannis Antetokounmpo says he wants to produce with so much consistency that it causes boredom.
That's the only respect in which the two-time MVP has fallen shortly lately.
<a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWI/status/1610478762532954116">Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points with a series of thrilling dunks and drives</a> Tuesday as the Milwaukee Bucks beat Washington 123-113 on Tuesday night, snapping the Wizards&rsquo; five-game winning streak. The spectacular forward also had 10 rebounds and seven assists to continue arguably the best stretch of his career.
&ldquo;I want to get in a position ... that my game is boring,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I just do what I do and people don't talk about it because it becomes boring &mdash; I do it every single night. That's what I want to do. I want other people to feel like my game is boring. But I don't get bored. The greats &mdash; the best players &mdash; never get bored. They go out there and they always give their best any given night.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo has at least 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in each of the last three games he's played. The two-time MVP sat out a 118-95 loss to the Wizards on Sunday because of a sore left knee.
The only other players in NBA history to have three straight performances of 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists are Elgin Baylor in 1961 and 1963, Wilt Chamberlain in 1963 and Russell Westbrook in 2016. The only other Bucks to score at least 40 points in three straight appearances are Flynn Robinson in February 1969 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in February 1972.
&ldquo;He's been kind of playing with this kind of determination, this kind of just willing us in games,&rdquo; Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. &ldquo;Tonight we were able to win it. He's just been phenomenal.&rdquo;
Bucks center Brook Lopez is in his fifth season of playing alongside Antetokoumpo. The 7-footer couldn't recall a regular-season stretch in which Antetokounmpo has played better than this.
&ldquo;He's just constantly improving,&rdquo; said Lopez, who had 21 points and 12 rebounds. &ldquo;When you think where else can he go and how else can he improve, he just improves again. We're going to have to expand the English language in some way to come up with words (to describe him). I don't know if I've said that before, but I'm sure he's going to improve again. Who knows what he's going to do next. He's just so otherworldly.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo's previous career high was a 52-point effort against the Philadelphia 76ers on March 17, 2019. He just missed the single-game franchise scoring record owned by Michael Redd, who scored 57 points against the Utah Jazz in November 2006.
Washington&rsquo;s Bradley Beal returned after missing three games with a sore left hamstring, but he played just 13 minutes. Beal scored eight points before the hamstring issue prevented him from playing at all in the second half.
&ldquo;Same area,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. "We just have to get it evaluated.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 22 points for the Wizards, and Kyle Kuzma added 20.
Milwaukee's Bobby Portis had 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Milwaukee's Jrue Holiday returned to action after missing three games with a non-COVID illness and scored six points in 19 minutes. Bucks forward Khris Middleton missed an eighth straight game with a sore right knee and also won&rsquo;t play Wednesday at Toronto.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Taj Gibson missed a third consecutive game with a sore left groin. ... Gaford had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. ... Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert had 12 points each.
Bucks: George Hill missed a third straight game due to a non-COVID illness. ... Portis has four consecutive double-doubles. ... Grayson Allen shot 1 of 9 overall and 1 of 7 from 3-point range to continue his slump. Allen is 9 of 37 on 3-point attempts over his last four games. ... Antetokounmpo was 15 of 16 on free throws.
&nbsp;

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 55 points as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Washington Wizards 123-113.

Antetokounmpo has career-high 55 points; Bucks beat Wizards

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Jamal Murray struggled to find his range or rhythm for most of the game.
Then, crunch time hit. Like that, he was locked in.
Murray scored seven of his 14 points over the final two minutes, Nikola Jokic had his eighth triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the Miami Heat 124-119 on Friday night.
&ldquo;To come back and get a win against that team is definitely a great win,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.
Jokic finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. The two-time reigning NBA MVP was 8 of 15 from the floor, marking his team-record 26th straight game shooting 50% or better. He has 84 career triple-doubles.
With Denver down 117-115, Murray took over as the point guard scored seven straight points&mdash; a 3-pointer, two free throws and a floating jumper &mdash; to help the Nuggets remain tied with New Orleans for the top spot in the Western Conference.
&ldquo;Just proud of our guys to stick with it tonight,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;Jamal staying with it, not dropping his head, but also our team."
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the Nuggets with 20 points on a perfect night shooting &mdash; 7 of 7 from the floor, including 4 for 4 from 3-point range, and 2 of 2 from the free throw line. The Nuggets had eight players score in double figures to offset 20 turnovers.
&ldquo;Our communication is a big part of taking that next step and becoming a championship-caliber team,&rdquo; said Caldwell-Pope, who had a flagrant foul for not giving Tyler Herro enough room to land following a shot with 2:23 remaining. &ldquo;Our fourth-quarter defense and offense is great. ... But now our goal this just try to do it throughout the 48 minutes and not wait on the fourth quarter.&rdquo;
Herro had 26 points and 10 rebounds for Miami. Bam Adebayo added 22 for the Heat, who began a five-game trip through the West.
Duncan Robinson connected on three long-range shots to become the franchise&rsquo;s leader in 3-pointers with 807, one more than Tim Hardaway.
&ldquo;You want to do it in a win, so that&rsquo;s disappointing,&rdquo; Robinson said. &ldquo;Just feel very fortunate to get it. ... I&rsquo;ll definitely take a second to appreciate it.&rdquo;
Miami rebounded from a horrific shooting start &mdash; 4 of 22 &mdash; to keep things close until making a move to start the third quarter. The Heat took the lead early in the third on Herro's 3-pointer &mdash; and led by as many as nine &mdash; but couldn't hold on.
&ldquo;We pride ourselves in being able to win games with defensive stops going down the stretch,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t recall a stop in the last three or four minutes. It seems like they were scoring or being fouled on each one of those possessions.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Heat: Herro hit all four of his free throws to run his streak to 24. It's the fourth-longest streak of his career. ... Spoelstra drew a technical foul in the third quarter for arguing. Kyle Lowry had another in the fourth quarter. ... Forward Caleb Martin was scratched because of a quad injury.
Nuggets: Bones Hyland had five 3-pointers and 16 points. ... Aaron Gordon had 11 points. He also drew a technical foul in the second quarter.
POP QUIZ
Malone was asked if this was an important test, given Miami&rsquo;s physical brand of basketball.
&ldquo;Every night is a test. I mean that sincerely,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;We know that they (the Heat) are capable of doing really big things in that Eastern Conference.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Heat: At Utah on Saturday night.
Nuggets: Host Boston on Sunday night.

Nikola Jokic had his eighth triple-double of the season and the Denver Nuggets rallied to beat the Miami Heat 124-119 on Friday.

Murray, Jokic help Nuggets rally for 124-119 win over Heat

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and the Washington Wizards routed the short-handed Orlando Magic 119-100 on Friday night for their fourth straight victory.
Kyle Kuzma added 23 points and Rui Hachimura had 16 points and seven rebounds. The Wizards played without star guard Bradley Beal for the second straight game because of a strained hamstring.
Franz Wagner had 28 points and eight assists for Orlando, and Paolo Banchero added 21 points. The Magic had only eight players available after suspensions by the NBA in the wake of an incident in Detroit on Wednesday night.
The Wizards overcame 26 turnovers with 56% shooting and a 53-35 rebounding advantage. The Magic have lost three straight after winning eight of nine.
Wagner scored eight points on a 16-0 run that put the Magic up 32-27 early in the second quarter. Prorzingis scored 15 points in the final 8:39 of the period, leaving Washington with a 56-47 lead at the break.
Two 3-pointers by Corey Kispert and three-point plays by Porzingis and Daniel Gafford helped the Wizards expand their lead to 25 in the first six minutes of the second half.
TIP-INS
Wizards: F Taj Gibson sat out the game with a groin injury. ... The Wizards have won six straight against Orlando.
Magic: The Magic played without C Mo Wagner, G Cole Anthony, C Mo Bamba, C Wendell Carter Jr., G R.J. Hampton and G Gary Harris, all of whom were suspended for their participation in an altercation at Detroit. Wagner also will miss Orlando's next game along with three other players.
&nbsp;

Kristaps Porzingis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and the Washington Wizards routed the Orlando Magic 119-100.

Porzingis, Wizards beat Magic 119-100 for 4th straight win

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Rui Hachimura matched his career high with 30 points and converted a pivotal three-point play to help the Washington Wizards pull away for a 127-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night in a meeting of depleted teams.
&ldquo;I think right away his level of aggression, you could tell,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said about Hachimura, who finished 11 of 13 from the floor. &ldquo;He was not only playing downhill, but he was taking the right types of shots. He played with a sense of urgency.&rdquo;
Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma each had 22 points for Washington as three-time Wizards All-Star Bradley Beal sat out with hamstring soreness. The Wizards shot 57.3% from the floor, outscored the Suns 60-28 in the paint and outrebounded them 46-30.
Deandre Ayton scored 31 points for the Suns, who said Wednesday that All-Star guard Devin Booker will miss at least four weeks because of a left groin strain.
Chris Paul added 20 points as Phoenix led only once on the opening basket while falling to 1-2 on a six-game road trip. The Suns also are missing the injured Cam Johnson, Cam Payne and Landry Shamet.
&ldquo;Look, they beat us,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;They attacked us. Close-outs tonight weren&rsquo;t great. And in that third quarter and beginning of the fourth, it was just one close-out after another and they were getting to the rim. So that probably hurt us more than anything.&rdquo;
The Suns' ugly night finished with four technical fouls after halftime and a fan near the Phoenix bench being ejected in the final two minutes.
&ldquo;We finished the third really well. I think that was important,&rdquo; Porzingis said. &ldquo;That kind of set the tone for the fourth quarter also.&rdquo;
It was far more competitive until Hachimura&rsquo;s pivotal driving layup over Ish Wainright led to a three-point play to put Washington ahead 86-82 with 1:56 left in the third.
Entering that possession, the Suns had whittled a nine-point halftime deficit to one, and Hachimura was initially whistled for a charge on the play.
Unseld challanged and the call was reversed with Wainright assessed a block. And Hachimura&rsquo;s layup and foul shot set in motion a 19-5 run that put the game out of reach.
&ldquo;Usually I&rsquo;m more hesitant to use it until late in the game," Unseld said. &ldquo;But I felt like that was a momentum stretch there.&rdquo;
BOOKER SHELVED
The Suns said Booker will be re-evaluated after the four weeks.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the nature of a guy who puts in a lot of work and lays everything on the line,&rdquo; Williams said pregame. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to run into this from time to time. I&rsquo;m actually grateful, you know, that it wasn&rsquo;t worse.&rdquo;
Booker is averaging a career-high 27.1 points and already topped 50 points twice this season. But the 26-year-old has already missed seven of the last 10 games with hamstring and groin ailments. He played only four minutes on Christmas Day against the Denver Nuggets before departing.
TIP-INS
Suns: C Bismack Biyombo was listed as questionable (right knee) and played five minutes, all before halftime. ... Ayton scored 16 points in the second quarter and picked up his technical with 2:55 to play in the third. ... G Damion Lee, coach Monty Williams and Paul got technicals in the fourth.
Wizards: Hachimura eclipsed his previous season high on a runner that took his total to 24 points and extended Washington's lead to 110-96 midway through the fourth quarter. ... Beal has missed 13 games so far this season for a range of injury and illness reasons. He's day-to-day going forward, Unseld said.
&nbsp;

Rui Hachimura matched his career high with 30 points to help the Washington Wizards get a 127-102 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

Rui Hachimura helps Wizards beat short-handed Suns, 127-102

It was mostly fine a month ago.
Through games played on Nov. 27, the Washington Wizards found themselves at .500 (10-10). Back up a week, and a shiny 10-7 record &mdash; including a six-wins-in-seven-games stretch &mdash; would be staring at you. Behind a surprisingly stout defense (sixth in defensive rating <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/advanced?DateTo=11/20/2022&amp;dir=A&amp;sort=DEF_RATING" target="_blank" rel="noopener">through Nov. 20</a>), the Wizards were racking up wins and hoping to put together their first winning season since the 2017-18 campaign (43-39).
It's probably safe to say that won't be happening now.
The defense has fallen off a cliff &mdash; they've posted a 117.8 DRTG (No. 27) since Nov. 21, and rank 24th overall this year &mdash; and the offense has never come together. Having Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis in and out of the lineup certainly hasn't helped matters on either end of the floor.
Because the slide has come so quickly and aggressively, it's fair to expect some moves to be made before February's trade deadline. Per Marc Stein of Substack, the Wizards have already attempted to acquire Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder in exchange for a package headlined by fourth-year forward Rui Hachimura, to which the Suns <a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-search-for-nba-sellers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly declined</a>.&nbsp;
But if there's anyone to keep an eye on, it's Kyle Kuzma.
He's been the metronome for this Wizards group, averaging a career-high 21.8 points per game on 56.4% True Shooting (also a career-high) while playing in all but one game this season. It's been a remarkable sequel to last season's campaign (17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists), where he firmly established himself as one of the best young two-way forwards in basketball.
It's also a timely bit of ascension for Kuzma.
He's in the last guaranteed year of the three-year, $40 million extension he signed back in 2020; he has a $13 million player option for next season, but short of an accounting error or attack on the power grid, there's no way he isn't declining it and hitting the market. To that point, <a href="https://theathletic.com/3994995/2022/12/12/kyle-kuzma-wizards-contract/?redirected=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kuzma himself</a> has stated his intention to opt out for a new deal.
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On Monday, <a href="On%20Monday,%20Marc%20Stein%20of%20Substack%20reported%20that%20league%20executives%20feel%20that%20Kuzma%20is%20&quot;getable&quot;%20ahead%20of%20the%20dea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stein reported</a> that league executives feel that Kuzma is "getable" ahead of the trade deadline.
Considering Kuzma's upcoming free agency and apparent (if not obvious) desire to land in a big(ger) market next season, it's hard to argue against moving Kuzma before the deadline approaches. There's always room for a sign-and-trade over the offseason, though I'm not sure the Wizards should be putting themselves against a hard cap. (They absolutely should not.)
With that said, let's take a look at Kuzma's season and who could benefit the most by bringing him in.
WHAT KUZMA BRINGS
The bucket-getting brings Kuzma to the dance, particularly inside the arc. His blend of strength, touch and footwork allows him to generate looks almost whenever he pleases. Watching him toggle between bullying smaller defenders and simply shooting over them inside the free-throw line has been a quiet joy of tapping into Wizards games.
Mid-post and in is where he does a majority of his work. Kuzma has converted 54.5% of his shots between 4-to-10 feet this season, per Second Spectrum. Of the 33 players that have taken at least 100 shots within that range, Kuzma ranks fifth in efficiency &mdash; and only trails Luka Doncic (58.3% FG, third) among non-bigs.
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Kuzma's ability to drive &mdash; the Wizards are generating 1.09 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Kuzma drive this season, one of the best high-volume marks in the NBA &mdash; has continued to open up passing windows for him.
Quietly, he's become a slick interior passer. He's gotten comfortable making laydown or wrap-around passes when drawing a second defender. His willingness to throw lobs &mdash; and the combination of touch and placement he has on them &mdash; is impressive for a guy that doesn't have a true point-forward rep... at least, not yet.
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Off the ball, Kumza can't be completely ignored (more on that later). He's a heady cutter who's able to take advantage of airhead defenders. He's also more than willing to mix things up on the offensive glass, often tracking down his own missed shots in addition to cleaning up his teammates' messes.
Kuzma isn't just a one-trick pony though. He digs his heels in defensively as well. He's comfortable against both forward spots, though better against 4s. He moves well enough to switch onto pure wings in a pinch. And though I'd hesitate to play him as a small-ball 5 for extended stretches, his strength and rebounding prowess at least allows you to think about it &mdash; depending on what the rest of your personnel looks like.
LIMITATIONS
Kuzma has grown as a passer, but he's more reactive than proactive. There isn't a ton of manipulation present. Even with the rise of ball-screen usage as of late &mdash; he's running nearly 11 per 100 possessions since Thanksgiving &mdash; he's taking a shot on just under 60% of those plays, per Second Spectrum. Making a move for him to be your second option is probably too rich.
The real question mark for Kuzma is his outside shot. He's at career-high volume right now (7.5) while only converting 34.3% of his triples. Of those 7.5 attempts a night, 5.7 of them (76%) are of the catch-and-shoot variety; he's <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/player/1628398/shots-dash?Season=2022-23&amp;PerMode=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">only nailed 35.4% of those</a>, below the threshold needed for teams to think twice about helping off of him.
In Kuzma's six-year career, he's eclipsed the 37% mark on catch-and-shoot threes twice &mdash; during his rookie season (37.5% on 4.6 attempts) and during his last year with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020-21 (37.5% on 4.7 attempts). Those happen to be the only seasons he's shot over 36% from three overall.
In short: Kuzma's been a streaky shooter off the catch, and a flat-out poor one &mdash; 26.1% on 402 attempts &mdash; when taking them off the bounce. Considering his poor three-point track record in the postseason thus far (28.3% across 27 games), it's fair for contenders to worry about how defenses will treat him, and how he'll respond.
LANDING SPOTS
If you need a 4 to put his head down and soak up some usage, keep the chains moving within a possession and defend forwards on the other end, Kuzma should be near (or at) the top of your list. The acquiring team likely has to be prepared to pay Kuzma at least $20 million per year on his next deal, which could limit the pool a bit. Still, contenders should be knocking down the Wizards' door with offers.
It's fitting that the Wizards and Suns have already had discussions aroud Crowder; Phoenix should absolutely try their hands at a Kuzma pursuit. Considering Chris Paul's decline as a rim threat and interior scorer, adding Kuzma to the fray could be a necessary boost to their attack. It's worth noting that the Suns, who famously don't care all that much about the draft, control <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Suns.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">all of their picks</a> for the next eight seasons.&nbsp;
The Los Angeles Clippers <a href="https://www.prosportstransactions.com/basketball/DraftTrades/Future/Clippers.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">don't have the pick capital</a> that the Suns do, but they have their <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/cap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">choice of mid-tier contracts</a> &mdash; Marcus Morris ($16.3M), Luke Kennard ($14.4M), Robert Covington ($12.3M) and Nicolas Batum ($10.8M) all fit &mdash; and intriguing young guys (Amir Coffey, BJ Boston, Jason Preston) to get into the discussion. I would imagine Covington would be the most expendable of the mid-contract veteran group; Covington, a young piece and a way-off future first could likely get a conversation started.
The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly been lurking around the forward market, notably being linked to Crowder as a potential target. Like the Clippers, they don't have access to first-rounders in the immediate future. My sense is they'd be a little hesitant to move those considering that Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are both over 30 years old &mdash; and they have some fun contract stuff to sort through with Middleton soon.
Beyond that, it's easy to see the on-court Kuzma fit in Milwaukee. He'd fit their size ethos up front, and his creation abilities could take some pressure off the Giannis-Jrue-Middleton triumvirate. They're also a team that feels a wing/forward defender short; Kuzma would help.
Meeting the vet + young piece + pick(s) threshold would be difficult though; I'm not sure a package of Grayson Allen, one (or both) of MarJon Beauchamp and Jordan Nwora and down-the-line capital would appeal to the Wizards. And considering how much market matters for Kuzma, the long-term fit may not be there.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers would be a fun landing spot, but they just blew their pick load in the Donovan Mitchell trade. They don't necessarily pass the market test either.
The Miami Heat might be the cleanest landing spot in the East considering on and off-court stuff, but they're:
1) Short on pick ammo to make a comfortable move.
2) Two tiers below the contending class at this point.
Kuzma would absolutely make the Heat better; would he improve them enough&nbsp;to justify cashing in their limited chips instead of going star-hunting again during the summer? I have my doubts.
While we're in the non-contender class: How about a make-me-feel-wanted swap between Kuzma and the Atlanta Hawks' John Collins? The Wizards would have to add more salary &mdash; Hachimura and Anthony Gill would get them there &mdash; but it's a framework I'd consider if I'm Washington. A Collins-Porzingis frontcourt would be an interesting mix; if all else fails, Collins has enough years on his deal to start the trade dance all over again if necessary.

Nekias Duncan breaks down possible landing spots for Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma and analyzes his solid season thus far.

Examining potential trade destinations for Kyle Kuzma

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 125-111 on Friday night to end a six-game trip.
&ldquo;We got it done tonight,&rdquo; Kuzma said. &ldquo;We played good tonight. &hellip; I put my heart out there every night. I come ready to play. I have something to prove to myself every single night."
The Wizards had lost 10 of their last 11. They snapped a 10-game losing streak with a victory at Phoenix on Tuesday night, then fall at Utah on Thursday night.
&ldquo;It was our defense,&rdquo; Wizards coach Wes Unsend Jr. said. &ldquo;It allowed us to get out there and run. It&rsquo;s one of the things we preached all year. If we get stops, we have the freedom to push.&rdquo;
Bradley Beal added 24 points for Washington (13-21) and Rui Hachimura had 21.
&ldquo;If we think we&rsquo;re just going to show up and go through the motions because our record is what it is, we&rsquo;re going to be in for a rude awakening,&rdquo; Kings coach Mike Brown said.
Domantas Sabonis had his second consecutive triple-double for Sacramento (17-14) with 20 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. De&rsquo;Aaron Fox scored 26 points, and Malik Monk had 16.
&ldquo;We just had too many possessions where one or two people touched the ball," Monk said. &ldquo;Us playing terrible on defense made bad shots happen. We just played terrible tonight.&rdquo;
Washington opened the second quarter on a 28-9 run and led by 30. The Wizards outscored the Kings 70-50 in the paint.
&ldquo;The Kings aren&rsquo;t the greatest defensive team and we knew that we could get into the paint and exploit a little bit, especially playing big," Kuzma said. "It really allowed us to have some different mismatches out there and really attack their paint.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Wizards: F Deni Avdija was ruled out because of lower back soreness. &hellip; G Delon Wright made his first appearance since Oct. 25 after dealing with a hamstring sprain.
Kings: Sabonis left the game with three minutes left and was holding his hand. He went to the locker room and didn't return.
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Kyle Kuzma scored 32 points and the Washington Wizards beat the Sacramento Kings 125-111.

Kyle Kuzma scores 32 points, Wizards beat Kings 125-111

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Kawhi Leonard knew he needed to carry the load for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was up for the challenge.
Leonard scored a season-high 31 points and the Clippers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Washington 102-93 on Saturday, extending the Wizards&rsquo; skid to a season-worst nine games.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s feeling better, feeling good, starting to trust it,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue.
Still on a minutes restriction after missing last season with a torn ACL, Leonard equaled his season high of 31 minutes. He shot 12 of 26, made 5 of 8 free throws and had nine rebounds on a day when Paul George, Ivica Zubac, Reggie Jackson and Norman Powell were sidelined. That left the Clippers without nearly 61 combined points on average.
&ldquo;Just needed to be more assertive and aggressive the whole game," Leonard said. &ldquo;It was a big win for us.&rdquo;
Luke Kennard added a season-high 20 points off the bench, tying his season high with four 3-pointers.
&ldquo;You don't want to leave him," Leonard said. &ldquo;If you give that to him, he's going to knock it down.&rdquo;
Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 19 points. Kyle Kuzma added 17 points and Deni Avdija had 10 rebounds. The Wizards, who were without Bradley Beal, have lost 12 of 13.
Los Angeles fought back in the fourth. Brandon Boston Jr. came off the bench for a steal and score, tying it at 78. The Clippers went up 81-78 on Amir Coffey's layup and Kennard's free throw after the Wizards' delay of game technical.
&ldquo;Just searching for a good lineup to hold it down until Kawhi came back,&rdquo; Lue said.
Washington ran off seven in a row and the Clippers answered with six straight. Porzingis' basket drew the Wizards into a tie at 87-all.
Kennard passed to Nicolas Batum for a 3-pointer that put the Clippers in front by three.
Then Leonard got going. He scored eight in a row and only missed a free throw that would have capped a three-point play as the Clippers led 98-89 and closed out their fourth win in five games.
&ldquo;I was able to get to my spots," Leonard said. &ldquo;When it's that time of game you want to be as aggressive as possible.&rdquo;
The Wizards were held to 18 points in the third and fourth quarters.
&ldquo;Especially on nights when we struggle to score the ball, defense is where we're going to hang our hats,&rdquo; Lue said.
The Clippers were down 15 points in the second quarter, but Leonard took over starting in the third. He scored eight of their first nine points to pull the Clippers into a tie at 59-all.
From there, the Wizards outscored the Clippers 16-13 to lead 75-72 heading into the fourth. Avdija had six points, punctuated by a one-handed slam, and Kuzma and two-way player <a href="https://www.nba.com/watch/video/jordan-goodwin-gets-the-steal-and-finds-will-barton-on-the-other-end?plsrc=nba&amp;game-highlights=0022200438">Jordan Goodwin</a> had five each as Leonard sat down with 3 1/2 minutes left.
TIP-INS
Wizards: Beal (right hamstring strain) sat out his sixth straight game. ... Rui Hachimura (right ankle soreness) missed his 14th game in a row. Although he still has discomfort, Hachimura has responded well to recent 3-on-3 play.
Clippers: George has a sore left knee, Zubac has a left knee contusion, Jackson has left Achilles inflammation and Powell has a left groin strain. ... The teams played a week ago and the Clippers won by 10 points on the road.
WALL 12K
Clippers guard John Wall hit a 3-pointer in the game's opening moments against his former team that pushed him over 12,000 career points. He's one of nine active players with at least 12,000 points, 5,500 assists and 1,000 steals. He finished with nine points, six assists and three rebounds.
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Kawhi Leonard scored a season-high 31 points and the Clippers rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Wizards 102-93.