Draft capital rules the modern NBA. It’s the league’s currency: it makes it go around. If you survey the league’s landscape, some teams have a stronger hold on that market than others do.
Look at the Utah Jazz. Last summer, this team decided to go all-in on draft capital. In trading Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Jazz picked up a whopping seven unprotected first-round picks. This organization has draft capital to spare.
The Washington Wizards should be envious. This team just started a rebuild, and their collection of draft capital is roughly average. Could they improve it by sending Kyle Kuzma to the Jazz?
The Trade Proposal
Washington Wizards receive: F/C John Collins, 2025 First-Round Pick (Top 10 Protected – CLE via UTA)
Utah Jazz receive: F Kyle Kuzma
With that said, every first-round pick is not born equally. Picks that belong to bad teams are worth more. As a result, some teams try to impose badness upon themselves to improve the quality of their own pick.
We’re talking about the practice of tanking. In some NBA circles, it’s a dirty word. Unfortunately, teams would intentionally lose games. At the same time, as long as the lottery system exists, it’s a practice that isn’t going anywhere.
Still, some teams seemingly prefer to avoid it. Look at the Jazz. Last year, this team was expected to tank. Instead, the Jazz were competitive. Could they continue down that path by upgrading their team?
Why The Utah Jazz Do The Deal
This year, the Jazz are less competitive. Whether this team is tanking or not, they’re not especially competitive. Should they give up assets to make their team better?
Perhaps they shouldn’t. At the same time, let’s be honest – Kuzma isn’t going to revolutionize this team. As it stands, he’s on the Wizards – and they’re one of the worst teams in the NBA. The Jazz can continue to maximize their lottery odds after making this deal.
For Utah, this is about improving rapidly once they find their franchise player. Kuzma is more of a floor raiser than a ceiling raiser. If the Jazz can land a superstar through the draft and hang onto Lauri Markkanen, they may be ready to contender sooner than they would be with Collins. Should the Wizards take a long view by moving Kuzma?
Why The Washington Wizards Do The Deal
Both of these players are on questionable contracts. Still, at least Kuzma is productive. On the other hand, Collins has one of the worst deals in the NBA.
That shouldn’t deter the Wizards. This team doesn’t have a lot of big money on their books. Meanwhile, by the time they’re ready to compete, Collins will either be coming off of the books, or he’ll be on an expiring contract. At that point, he’ll be easy to move.
So, flipping Kuzma for draft capital makes sense. It’s been rumored that the Wizards want multiple firsts for Kuzma – that doesn’t feel realistic. He’s on a contract that will deter plenty of suitors. This is likely his market value – at least the Wizards are still getting some draft capital.
