Report: Mavericks interested in Wizards star

According to Marc Stein’s most recent Substack article, the Mavericks are one of several teams interested in Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma.

Mark Cuban, the team’s minority owner and head of basketball operations, confirmed in a recent radio appearance that the team wants to strengthen its frontcourt. Stein reported this several weeks ago.

“If we can get a big who can also create off the dribble, that’d be a plus,” Cuban said. “Six-eight or bigger.”

Kuzma, 28, stands 6-foot-9 and has averaged 21.9 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 4.2 APG in 41 games (31.2 minutes per game) this season for the Wizards. The Mavericks were also linked to Pascal Siakam, another power forward with versatile scoring abilities.

According to Stein, the Wizards want at least two first-round picks for Kuzma, and they appear to want higher value picks than the ones the Raptors received from Indiana for Siakam (two in 2024, which is considered a week draft; the other is top-four protected in 2026).

Stein also suggests that Washington wants at least a first-round pick for each of Tyus Jones and Daniel Gafford, two other starters who, like Kuzma, are “drawing no shortage of interest” ahead of the trade deadline on February 8. Center Gafford, like Kuzma, is on a long-term contract, while point guard Jones has a $14 million deal that expires.

While Siakam is unquestionably a more accomplished player than Kuzma, he will also be looking to sign a massive long-term contract this summer, whereas Kuzma is on a four-year, $90 million deal that decreases over time, which means he could be making a fraction of Siakam’s salary in a few seasons. According to Stein, salary considerations are important for teams like the Mavericks (Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving) and Kings (Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox), who already have two players making the max or close to it.

However, as Stein points out, the Mavericks can only trade one first-round pick (2027) at the moment due to the Stepien rule, and the Wizards have remained steadfast in their months-long desire to accumulate first-round picks after failing to do so when they had little leverage in the Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis trades. That was the case months ago when Dallas checked in on Gafford and Deni Avdija, and nothing has changed since, says Stein.

For what it’s worth, Avdija would also fit the bill as a playmaking forward, but the poison pill provision would make trading him difficult, and he’s having his best professional season at the age of 23.

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