Should Celtics Target Kyle Kuzma After Latest Wizards Development?

The Boston Celtics have work to do if they intend on rectifying everything that went wrong, dragging them to playoff elimination after falling just a win shy of an NBA Finals appearance this past season.

That includes some honest roster reflection.

Regardless of how much leeway one can offer the Celtics, whether it’d be Joe Mazzulla being a first-year head coach or Danilo Gallinari’s absence or even the youth of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown (every Green Teamer’s go-to), the fact remains this team underachieved — again.

So, with reality in mind, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens needs to consider a dash of creativity this offseason. One way of doing so would be to keep emphasizing Boston’s depth with a few potential departures in place — Grant Williams and Payton Pritchard — and what better way than an upgrade?

The Washington Wizards, who just packaged Bradley Beal in a blockbuster trade with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, don’t have much going for them, forcing the team into a rebuilding stage. Forward Kyle Kuzma, who averaged a career-best 21.2 points with Washington last season, declined his $13 million player option with the Wizards on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, sending him to free agency.

So… should Boston swoop in?

At the very least, Kuzma is worth entertaining. A fellow member of Tatum’s draft class in 2018, Kuzma has continuously polished his offensive playstyle in recent years, which would give Boston an upgrade from both Williams and Gallinari, both of which could be traded away in order to do justice by the luxury tax.

Kuzma has the age advantage over Gallinari, who’s coming off a torn ACL, and a much more elite skill set to that of Williams, who aside from his streaky shooting, becomes an offensive liability everywhere else inside the perimeter. Just short of an All-Star caliber talent, pairing Kuzma alongside Tatum and Brown could do wonders for the Celtics after a postseason run where they struggled to buy timely buckets and needed a defensive lift.

Mazzulla was a clear advocate for the modern day 3-point-chucking offense, that when not present, is Boston’s greatest enemy. Therefore, why not take a flyer on Kuzma? The 27-year-old knocked down 33.3% on 7.5 outside attempts per game last season, including 37.6% with less than six minutes remaining during games.

Assuming the Celtics won’t have both Williams and Pritchard, plus the possibility of moving on from one of their trio of guards — Malcolm Brogdon, Derrick White, Marcus Smart — Kuzma makes more than enough sense moving forward in an effort to get Boston’s train back on track.