Phoenix Suns favored to acquire Washington Wizards star

NBA trade speculation is heating up and a lot of it is swirling around Washington Wizards star Kyle Kuzma and where he could possibly land in a trade before the 2023 NBA trade deadline.

Recent odds shed light on some possible landing spots for the forward and the Phoenix Suns lead the list of possible suitors, should Washington trade Kuzma, who is averaging 21.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season.

BetVirginia.com has the Suns at +475 to be Kuzma’s team after the Feb. 9 trade deadline, giving the team a 17.4% chance to land the player in a trade.

Only the Wizards, Kuzma’s current team, have a better chance, at +110. (47.6%).

The Atlanta Hawks, at +635 (13.6%) and the Los Angeles Lakers, at +975 (9.3%) are behind the Suns in the odds, as are the New York Knicks at +1975 (4.82%).

Of the Suns’ potential fit with Kuzma, Bill Ordine wrote: “The most likely other-team, according to BetVirginia’s crystal ball, is Phoenix, a middle-tier contender in the Western Conference. Washington beat the Suns twice in eight days in late December. In the most recent of those two games, a 127-102 home win on Dec. 28, Kuzma had 22 points, five rebounds and seven assists. In Phoenix, in a 113-110 Washington win, Kuzma had 29 points, six rebounds and six assists.”

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Speculation has surrounded Kuzma and the Suns for a while, and that speculation has only intensified amid the Suns’ struggles to find scoring with Devin Booker out with an injury.

Could Kuzma be the missing piece the Suns need to get back to form and back into NBA title contention?

Trading for Kuzma, however, would likely not come cheap. He’s only 27 years old and is in line for what could be a lengthy, and pricy, contract extension with a $13 million per season contract that has a player option for the 2023-24 season.

Would Phoenix want to trade for what could end up being a rental player?

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What would they have to give up in a deal for him?

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NBAanalysis.net recently proposed a trade of Landry Shamet, Josh Okogie and a Top-5 protected 2023 first-round draft pick for Kuzma.

Clutch Points suggested the Suns trade Cam Johnson and Jae Crowder for Kuzma.

Yardbarker brought up the chance of Phoenix landing Kuzma in a 3-team deal.

SB Nation analyzed potential Kuzma deals between the Suns and Wizards.

“A 2-for-1 trade, like Crowder+Okogie for Kuzma, works just fine as long as the Wizards are okay taking two players back,” Dave King wrote. “But do they really just want to acquire expirings and nothing else for Kuzma? Likely not, or they wouldn’t trade him at all. Just let him leave this summer in free agency. So it they’re going to trade Kuz, they will want either a better player or future pick(s). And not the second-round kind either. Firsts or nothing. It’s up to the Suns to decide if Kuzma is the guy they REALLY want, and are willing to give up future capital for him.”

What should the Suns be willing to give up to trade for Kyle Kuzma?

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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kyle Kuzma trade odds: Phoenix Suns favored to acquire Wizards star

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