Bucks Trade Three-Time All-Star to Wizards
The Milwaukee Bucks have traded Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma. This is a shakeup for an Eastern Conference team that has lost four straight games and is dealing with injuries to key players, Giannis Antetokounmpou and Damian Lillard. Bucks brass wanted a younger, fresh player to pair up with their two superstars as the team marches toward the playoffs. Middleton has been battling injuries the past couple of seasons including recovering from surgeries on both ankles this past offseason.
Middleton had been a key player on the Bucks roster helping them win the NBA Finals in 2021. The 33-year-old player averaged 20 points per game from 2018-2022; however, due to his injuries, he is now averaging 12 points per game and only has played in seven games this season. His absence has been felt as the team got off to one of their worst starts to begin the season before finding their groove and now are fifth in the Eastern Conference. The addition of Kuzma could help the Bucks due to his size, length, and playoff experience. The 2020 NBA Champion is averaging 15 ppg this season and is shooting 42 percent this season.
Kuzma signed a four-year, $102 million deal with the Wizards in July 2023 and to help the Bucks he is reducing a portion of his trade bonus to help them build out the rest of its roster. The 6 '9 power forward could immediately be inserted into the starting lineup and play with much more of a purpose after playing on the worst team in the East this season. He now moves into a role as the third scoring option on a contending team and could see an uptick in scoring as defenses plan to stop the Greek Freak and Lillard. This move allows Milwaukee to obtain a younger player with multiple years left on his deal.
This was the best move the Bucks could make to get younger as they reportedly missed out on Zach LaVine. Kuzma does not necessarily move the needle for the Bucks as Eastern Conference contenders as the Celtics and Cavaliers are better teams this season. However, this move had to be done even if it cost them a star that helped them win the championship. Middleton now moves to Washington who will most likely move on from him soon and one has to wonder if his injuries have become too big for him to overcome.
