$102 million for 4 years! Kuzma will reach a contract extension with the Wizards and is expected to become a leader in the post-Beal era

On July 1, Beijing time, the NBA free agent market signing officially opened. According to Woj and others, the Wizards will reach a four-year, $102 million contract extension with Kuzma.

According to previous reports, Kuzma refused to exercise next season's $13 million player option and became a full free agent. He was then chased by the Rockets, Kings, Pacers and other teams, but eventually the Wizards reached a new contract extension with him. The 27-year-old will continue to play for the Wizards in the new season.

In the just-concluded 2022-23 season, Kuzma ushered in the best season of his career, playing a total of 64 regular season games, averaging 35 minutes per game, 21.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.5 steals, shooting 44.8% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range. It is worth mentioning that this is Kuzma's first career average of 20+ seasons per game, and he averaged 2.5 three-pointers per game, which is also a career high.

So far in his career, Kuzma has played two seasons for the Lakers and Wizards. He was named to the All-Rookie Team in his rookie season and was MVP of the Rookie Challenge, and then helped the Lakers win a championship in 2019-20 before being transferred to the Wizards by the Lakers in 2021.

It is worth mentioning that the Wizards have undergone a major reshuffle this summer, with both Beal and Porzingis All-Stars leaving, and the team getting Poole in a trade. It is believed that with this successful contract extension, Kuzma will play a more important role in the new season.