The Dallas Mavericks' run to the 2024 NBA Finals was largely fueled by the team's trade acquisitions of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford on the day of the trade deadline, but they nearly made a move that could've destroyed everything that they had built before they finalized both of those moves.
The Mavericks had an offer on the table to the Washington Wizards that would've sent them an unprotected first-round pick, Grant Williams, and other salary filler for Kyle Kuzma. Dallas wanted Kuzma, but he ultimately told the Wizards that he didn't want to go to the Mavericks because he didn't believe they were a contender, so they decided not to trade him.
This couldn't have been further from the truth, as Dallas made the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011 in 2024, and the Mavericks truly dodged a bullet by not landing Kuzma; so much so that it is still being talked about ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Mavericks' miss on Kyle Kuzma was a quiet blessing
On Sunday, Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon of the "Game Theory Podcast" were breaking down different trade candidates from across the league, and Washington of the Mavericks was mentioned. They talked about how trading Washington now may be best to retain some draft capital to help build around Cooper Flagg, but of course, they had to mention that Washington was nearly not a Maverick thanks to Dallas' nearness to a Kuzma trade.
"This all should've been Kyle Kuzma," Simon said when talking about Dallas' current draft capital situation. "If Kyle Kuzma didn't invoke his theoretical no-trade clause."
"Crazy, so crazy," Vecenie responded.
The Mavericks wanted to upgrade on the wing in 2024, and it seems like they wanted Kuzma more than they wanted Washington. If they had traded for Kuzma, they would've never traded for Washington, and this would've been a disaster for the Mavericks.
Washington has been incredible for Dallas over the last season and a half, as he has averaged 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from downtown. His versatility and physicality have been major for Dallas, as he has already had countless big moments for the Mavs, including a dominant series against the Oklahoma City Thunder back in 2024.
Without Washington, the Mavs likely wouldn't be where they are today, and they nearly didn't have him thanks to their desire for Kuzma.
Kuzma's former desire to stay on the Wizards saved the Mavericks a major headache, as they likely wouldn't have made the NBA Finals with him as their starting wing rather than Washington, and he has regressed while playing for the Milwaukee Bucks while Washington is poised to soon become one of the best bench players in the NBA (assuming he gets moved out of the starting lineup next season).
Before Kuzma was traded to the Bucks last season, it was reported that he wanted to be traded to Dallas, but the interest was not mutual. The Mavericks didn't want to bring in Kuzma, and their interest in him from one calendar year before faded away.
While Kuzma's time with the Bucks doesn't seem bad, as he averaged 14.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game over 33 games last season, he disappeared in the playoffs. Kuzma averaged 5.8 points per game in five playoff games while only playing 20.4 minutes per game. He looked unplayable at times, and when the lights were brightest, he didn't perform.
The fact that the Mavs narrowly not landing Kuzma shows how lucky they are that he didn't want to come to Dallas, and it's wild to think about how different things would be if this move actually happened.