In what may be the least shocking development in Washington Wizards history, forward Kyle Kuzma declined his player option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent, according to reporting by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
After averaging a career high 21.2 points per game, Kuzma is likely to earn substantially more than the $13 million he would have been paid if he’d remained under his current contract.
Odds of him returning to Washington likely diminished significantly when majority owner Ted Leonsis fired Tommy Sheppard and replaced him with a new executive team.
As they work to finalize the trade of Bradley Beal, team president Michael Winger, executive vice president Travis Schlenk and general manager Will Dawkins appear to be focused on rebuilding the roster to contend for a championship rather than the shorter term “win now” goals of previous years.