Kyle Kuzma’s midseason Mavericks take has aged like milk

The Dallas Mavericks have a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals and are likely on their way to an NBA finals berth. One possible veteran who could have been dealt to Dallas at the trade deadline falsely claimed that the Mavericks were not a title contender. According to Josh Robbins of The Athletic, Kyle Kuzma opted to not be traded to the Mavericks as Dallas was "contending for a playoff spot" and not for a championship.

While Kuzma does not have a no-trade clause and just signed a long-term deal this offseason, President of Basketball Operations Michael Winger "pledged" that "unless the Wizards" received a trade offer in the future for the veteran that was too good to refuse, he would listen to Kuzma’s input about potential trades.

Even though the offer that the Mavericks made for Kuzma was not revealed in the article, Robbins reports that the return "was fair but not a home run" by any means. Once the Mavericks were unable to land Kuzma, the squad went after Daniel Gafford and added him for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick that they acquired from the Thunder.

With the Mavericks likely returning to their first NBA Finals since the 2010-11 season and Kuzma still in a Wizards uniform, it's interesting to dive deeper into this entire situation.

Kyle Kuzma didn't believe Dallas Mavericks were title contenders

While the deal was not completely ready to be called into the league, the Wizards and Mavericks had the possible framework of a deal done. With the former Laker involved in trade rumors this offseason, it's possible that Kuzma could end up not making the same mistake twice and doubting a potential franchise that can compete for a title.

Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic looked like a franchise that could make a deep playoff run if everything went right, but Irving's shaky past and the duo's past poor defense made it hard to believe that they could make a NBA Finals run. The two guards having proven everyone wrong in recent weeks with Irving/Doncic pick and rolls leading the way.

One could assume that Kuzma would excel (and that's an understatement) as the screener in an Irving/Doncic pick and rolls. Yes, his defense would be a cause for concern but the franchise could make up for that on the offensive end. Whether Kuzma regrets not okaying a trade to the Mavericks or not, the scorer was wrong in assessing their potential this season.