Kyle Kuzma to return to Wizards on four-year, $102 million contract

The Washington Wizards are rebuilding, but that hasn’t stopped them from retaining one of their best players.

The Wizards agreed to re-sign forward Kyle Kuzma on a four-year, $102 million deal, according to ESPN. The deal keeps Kuzma in the District, where he’s thrived the last two seasons. Kuzma gets a career payday after a season in which he averaged a career-high 21.2 points per game. 

Washington’s decision to keep Kuzma also comes after the team’s new front office traded star Bradley Beal to Phoenix and shipped forward Kristaps Porzingis to Boston — two deals that signified the Wizards are about to undergo a rebuild. Despite that, retaining Kuzma gives Washington a top scorer to pair with guard Jordan Poole, who was acquired this offseason in a trade with Golden State. 

Kuzma had long maintained that he had an interest in staying with Washington, the franchise that traded for him in 2021 in a deal involving Russell Westbrook. He told reporters in April that he wanted to be with a team that allowed him to be “the best version of myself.” 

“It’s not about the money,” he said. “I’m going to get paid regardless anywhere (I go).” 

That “anywhere” turned out to be Washington.