Report: Dallas Mavericks interested in Kyle Kuzma

The Dallas Mavericks reportedly are interested in Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma ahead of this season’s trade deadline.

The Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns also have their eye on Kuzma, who is certainly a popular trade candidate this season.

“Per various NBA sources, other teams that have eyes on Kuzma include the Atlanta Hawks, Suns and Mavericks,” Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus wrote. “While the [Los Angeles] Lakers were also linked to Kuzma, the Rui Hachimura trade with the Wizards likely signaled an end to that flirtation.”

Kuzma, 27, is having a terrific season for the Wizards, but the team may be inclined to move him since he has a player option at just $13.0 million for next season. It’s likely that Kuzma would opt out of that contract to seek a bigger deal on the open market.

This season, the former first-round pick is averaging 22.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3. 9 assists per game while shooting 46.0 percent from the field and 34.0 percent from beyond the arc.

He’d be a terrific addition for Dallas, who certainly could use some more proven scoring around superstar Luka Doncic. The Mavericks lost a key player in Jalen Brunson in free agency this past offseason, and they haven’t been able to replace him on offense.

The addition of Christian Wood has helped for Dallas, but Kuzma would give the team a versatile wing to make a push for a top spot in the West. The team could also look into re-signing Kuzma this coming offseason if he fits in well with the team if a deal is made.

Dallas holds the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference heading into Thursday night’s action, but it has lost seven of its last 10 games.

After making the Western Conference Finals last season, the Mavericks certainly should look to improve the roster around Doncic, who is playing at an MVP-caliber level this season.

Kuzma has playoff experience, winning an NBA title with the Lakers earlier in his career. This has been by far the best scoring season of his career, and he’s shown he can be a valuable player at this stage in his career.

The Wizards are hanging around in the play-in tournament conversation in the Eastern Conference, but they could move Kuzma if they feel he won’t re-sign with the team in the offseason. That would at least help Washington recoup an asset for a player in a breakout season.