GM: Matt Moderno, @mattmodderno

Salary Cap: $149,920,638

Luxury Tax: $346,362

• Given they are right under the tax threshold and unlikely to go into the tax, they need to find a way to shed money with any move they make

GOAL: Move Kyle Kuzma because he’s going to leave in free agency anyway. Is it time to consider moving Bradley Beal? Try to get a win-now piece for Kuzma

Priorities

• Get the best trade you can for Kuzma before he walks and you lose him for nothing

• Don’t go over the tax

• Decide which direction you want this team to go, they should’ve blown it up years ago

Players to Dangle

Bradley Beal (5/$251)

o   Salary: $43,279,250

o   Can salary match up to $54,199,062

o   Full no trade clause so he’d have to agree to be traded to specific team

Will Barton (1/$14.4)

o   Salary: $14,375,000

o   Can salary match up to $19,375,000 if you can avoid the tax or $18,068,750 if in the tax, which you want to avoid

Kyle Kuzma (2/$26 w/ PO in ‘23-’24)

o   Salary: $13,000,000

o   Can match up to $18,000,000 if out of tax or $16,350,000 if in tax

o   He’s the most likely name out of everyone to be moved

o   Target teams

• Atlanta
• Phoenix
• Utah
• Sacramento
• New York
• LA Clippers
• LA Lakers
• Dallas
• Brooklyn

Rui Hachimura (1/$6.3)

o   Salary: $6,263,188

o   Can match up to $11,060,579 if out of the tax or $7,928,985 if in the tax

o   It’s already been speculated that he’s been put in trade offers for Jae Crowder, his expiring deal makes it likely he’ll be traded

Assets Owned

• TPE: $5,220,900
• TPE: $3,980,551
• 2023 1st (lotto protected to NYK)
• 2024 1st (top 12 protected to NYK if ‘23 1st not conveyed)
• 2025 1st (top 10 protected to NYK if ‘23 or ‘24 1st not conveyed)
• 2026 1st (top 8 protected to NYK if ‘23-’25 first not conveyed)
• 2027 1st
• 2028 1st
• 2029 1st
• 2023 or 2024 BOS 2nd (2023 2nd protected 31-45, if not conveyed then 2024 2nd)
• 2025 2nd (less favorable of own and GSW)
• 2026 2nd (conveyed to NYK if ‘23-’26 1st not conveyed)
• 2027 2nd (conveyed to NYK if ‘23-’26 1st not conveyed)
• 2029 2nd

Mock Trades to Date (Feb 2 Deadline)

Kings trade star rookie for an upgrade in a 3-team deal

TRADE: Kings acquire Kyle Kuzma, Cory Joseph, and Hamidou Diallo

Wizards receive: Keegan Murray, Davion Mitchell, Matthew Dellavedova, and Alec Burks

Pistons receive: Will Barton, Alex Len, 2025 WSH 2nd, SAC 2028 2nd, 2025 SAC 2nd

This is one that won’t happen in real life, but Sacramento was insistent on it. For the Kings, they are currently the 3 seed in the west and clearly like their chances of making a deep playoff run. As a result, they traded Keegan Murray and Davion Mitchell in a deal for Kuzma. The Kings have had interest in Kuzma since they agreed to terms on a trade for him for Buddy Hield with the Lakers. The Kings also felt confident that Kuzma would re-sign, given they provide him with a certain lifestyle that he desires. While Keegan realistically won’t be moved and this was a steep price to pay for an expiring deal, a package like this may be what it takes to pry Kuzma away from the Wizards. 

For the Wizards, in real life they’ve basically deemed Kuzma untouchable for reasons beyond me. I personally don’t think he’ll re-sign, but maybe Washington knows something that the general public doesn’t. But Washington has needed to rebuild for quite some time, so getting a guy like Keegan Murray in town is the start of that possibility. Sacramento has had a 15-year playoff drought, and this is just further pushing in their chips to fortify themselves as a contender. Last year we had Sacramento trading Tyrese Haliburton in a Ben Simmons deal when we did this exercise, and it seemed far-fetched that they’d trade Haliburton at this point last year too. Again, Murray won’t be moved, but crazier things have happened. Sacramento also acquired a backup point guard in Joseph and an athletic freak in Diallo. The Wizards were further able to flip Will Barton, who has quickly fallen out of favor in Washington, for a perceived upgrade in Alec Burks for just the price of a 2025 2nd-round pick. 

For Detroit, they get three second-round picks for Burks, Diallo, and Joseph. While Detroit’s goal was to acquire more picks and Joseph and Diallo for a second round pick each is fine, they should’ve been able to get more for Alec Burks. However, Detroit acquired Burks this past offseason along with Nerlens Noel in addition to a first-round pick for a salary dump, so adding to that first isn’t bad business by Detroit either.