Kyle Kuzma is a potential litmus test for Hornets' offseason direction

With the new NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement rules going into effect this offseason, this summer is expected to be a wild one for the overall trade market.

National insiders for months have hinted at a potential “NBA transfer portal,” as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski put it. Teams now face huge financial decisions on paying their own players, which includes potential penalties going over the second tax apron. For this reason alone, more activity than ever is expected from teams between now and July.

The 2024 NBA Draft is just over a month away, and now reports will begin to crystalize on players who could be available leading up to it.

According to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, the Washington Wizards are preparing to listen to trade offers on Kyle Kuzma. At February’s trade deadline, Washington was reportedly seeking two first-round picks for Kuzma, but it’s unknown if the asking price on that has gone down.

This is where a team like the Charlotte Hornets can get involved to potentially nab a win-now piece like Kuzma to accelerate their rebuilding efforts. Brandon Ingram, who could also be on the move with a max contract not expected from the New Orleans Pelicans, is another potential target covered on Swarm & Sting that makes sense for Charlotte from a more aggressive viewpoint.

Kuzma is coming off a career season for the Wizards averaging a career-high 22.2 points per game to along with 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. At this stage of his career, we know what Kuzma’s primary assignment is and that’s getting buckets on a consistent basis. Within a more competitive environment, Kuzma could morph back into a more refined role player version we witnessed on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Multiple contenders are expected to pursue Kuzma, but should Charlotte be one of them flying under the radar? Yes, because he checks so many boxes for what Charlotte needs as another scorer who can add more rebounding and secondary playmaking around LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Also, with the unknown status of Miles Bridges’ future, maybe Kuzma could slide in as a long-term replacement while sending out their former starting power forward via sign-and-trade.

Charlotte has the wiggle room to make this work, and Davis Bertans surpassingly might be the key. With Bertans’ unique contract, only partial guarantees on the $16 million expiring, they can help Washington satisfy offloading Kuzma and fetch future compensation in the process.

Here’s what a potential Kuzma deal could look like between Charlotte and Washington:

Hornets receive = Kyle Kuzma

Wizards receive = Davis Bertans, 2025 1st (top-8 protected), 2027 1st via Miami Heat

Would Washington actually accept a deal like this? It’s doubtful, because at this rate Kuzma will likely be able to fetch them another lottery pick immediately. On the other side, with Charlotte focusing on drafting a prospect at No. 6 overall, they might not satisfy Washington’s desires of securing two top-10 selections in the 2024 draft.

If Kuzma isn’t moved ahead of June 26, night one of the NBA Draft, then maybe a more long-term deal for Washington receiving future picks might be more appetizing. In the meantime, operate under the assumption Washington will move Kuzma in the next month.

If not, then this will become very interesting. Thanks to the Bertans contract, additional draft capital and salary cap flexibility, the Hornets can now get involved into a lot of different trade conversations.