The Golden State Warriors have formally announced their plans to sign the former NBA champion to serve as a possible Klay Thompson successor.
With Klay Thompson’s future uncertain and the Golden State Warriors‘ dynasty years appearing to be over, they find themselves at a crossroads.
A report that suggested the Warriors may be considering a replacement for Thompson surfaced amid Shams Charania’s report from The Athletic stating that “everyone except Stephen Curry is on the table.”
The Warriors are one of three teams where former NBA champion Kyle Kuzma might play next, according to Sam Amico of Hoops Wire.
The Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, and Golden State Warriors are a few teams that could be interested in Kuzma, according to league sources who spoke with Hoops Wire. However, sources added that neither Memphis nor San Antonio would want to give up potential lottery selections,” Amico wrote on January 18.
Kendall Kuzma’s Value Agreement
The Washington Wizards’ best trade asset, Kyle Kuzma, is having a career-best season in the NBA, averaging a career-high 21.9 points on 45.4% field goal shooting, 34.1% from three, and 4.2 assists. In addition, he pulls down 6.4 rebounds per game.
On the Los Angeles Lakers championship team in 2020, he was the third-best player.
Kuzma has a four-year, $102 million guaranteed contract worth of bonuses that is favorable to the team.
His annual salary decreases each year, with $19.4 million guaranteed for the 2026–2027 campaign. More significantly, he is five years younger than Thompson, who requested the maximum extension during the offseason talks but the Warriors were unwilling to grant.
One of the reasons the Warriors are 12th in the Western Conference with an 18-22 record this season is because of Thompson’s inconsistent play. After a 1-4 run that included humiliatingly large losses that had never been seen since the Steve Kerr era, desperation has seeped into the Bay.
Thompson’s time in Golden State may be coming to an end if the Warriors acquire Kuzma, unless he decides to accept a smaller role and signs a new, significantly shorter contract in the offseason.
The Cost of Kyle Kuzma
Kuzma would cost competing teams a significant amount of future draft capital, which is further down the road, according to Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.
“A number of teams around the league have expressed exploratory trade interest in Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, league sources told HoopsHype. If teams miss out on Pascal Siakam, that interest may grow,” Scotto wrote on January 18. “There is more clarification and qualifications to the reports that Washington wants to trade Kuzma for two first-round picks, as they have been reported. According to league sources who spoke with HoopsHype, the Wizards would have to part with their best player in exchange for future first-round selections that could be lottery selections after the 2024 draft.
If the Warriors use that draft capital, they still have enough to match the Wizards’ offer for Kuzma. In an interesting trade for Jordan Poole and Chris Paul, the Warriors gave up their 2030 first-round selection (top-20 protected) to the Wizards, but they still have their 2026 and 2028 first-round picks available.
The $24.3 million salary that Andrew Wiggins will make this season is the ideal match for Kuzma’s salary plus draft capital. Moses Moody might help the Warriors reduce the amount of money they had to pay for the draft.
