The Washington Wizards find themselves out of the NBA Playoffs yet again, after an aberration last year thanks to the play of Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal. After missing 3 out of the last 4 playoffs, the Wizards have made many changes to the roster that played post-season basketball in 2018.
The most notable departure came in 2020 when the Wizards traded away team legend John Wall to the Houston Rockets before he could return from injury to acquire Westbrook. Wall’s tenure in Houston has been tenuous and he didn’t get to play in the 2021-22 season as the team highlighted its young talent.
When Westbrook was traded to the Lakers in the 2021 off-season, the Wizards acquired Kyle Kuzma and other players, with Kuzma looking settled on the team. He just shared a picture of him out with John Wall as the current Wizards star sat down with one of the all-time greats of the team.
Dc legend pic.twitter.com/L2eOjau4mT
— kuz (@kylekuzma) May 7, 2022
Wall’s trade yielded immediate results for the Wizards, as the former MVP’s late-season form last year allowed them to push into the play-in and then become the 8th seed to face the Philadelphia 76ers. Westbrook was then traded to LA and the Wizards got back a ton of assets including the young forward Kuzma.
Kuzma had some very impressive stretches this season, showing development in his offensive skills with a bigger role. With him being committed to this team and Wall staying a healthy scratch on the Rockets bench, it is smart of Kuzma to link up with the veteran point guard and take any tips he can.
Wall will most likely find a new home this season as he is in the final year of his super-max contract that he signed with Washington, making it a little easier to trade away as an expiring contract. Hopefully, we can see Wall in action again and that Kuzma can take a leap and become a genuine co-star to Bradley Beal.
