Bucks Fleeced in the Disappointing Khris Middleton Trade at the Deadline

The Milwaukee Bucks are trading a fan favorite member of the 2021 championship team, Khris Middleton, to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

This deal also sent rookie guard A.J. Johnson to Washington, and in return, Milwaukee got Kyle Kuzma and University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee alum Patrick Baldwin Jr.

This trade news comes just a few days after the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers shook the sports world with the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis deal.

Khris Middleton, 33, has spent the last 12 seasons in Milwaukee and was a key member in the Bucks' championship run in 2021.

He hasn't seen much playing time this season due to injuries and is still recovering from offseason ankle surgeries. He was out for the first 21 games of the season, and since he's been back on the court, he's been averaging 12.6 points per game, which happens to be his lowest scoring average since the 2013-14 season.

With this slow bounce back, Middleton was more of a bench player than the starter he was used to being. However, it was apparent that the Bucks seemed to be doing better with Middleton coming off the bench rather than starting alongside Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The trade of Khris Middleton was bound to happen. The timing is a little bit of a shock, but if the Bucks want to improve their game and be a more serious team, some moves needed to be made to benefit the team.

A.J. Johnson hasn't seen much playing time with the Bucks this season as he is a rookie and has spent most of this season with the Bucks' G-League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.

How Does Kyle Kuzma Fit in Milwaukee?

Kyle Kuzma, 29, is averaging 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on 42% shooting, which happens to be the lowest of his career.

The 6-foot-9 forward signed a four-year deal with Washington back in 2023, where he averaged 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in 64 games in his first season on that contract.

He has struggled throughout his career with outside shooting, a career 33% 3-point shooter, which also includes a career-low of 28% this season. The Wizards have the second-worst point differential in NBA history, and Kuzma definitely didn't help with that number.

With a change in atmosphere, hopefully, Kuzma sees some sort of turnaround in his playing strategies. With him only being 29, he's still got years ahead of him, and being in the title-contending city of Milwaukee will be a better fit.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. is a Hamilton High School graduate as well as a one-year student at UW-Milwaukee. He was a first-round pick by the Golden State Warriors in 2022. He was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2023 with Jordan Poole in a deal that sent Chris Paul to the Warriors.

Baldwin is in his third NBA season, but he's only played 91 career games, seven of those being starts. He's averaging 3.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. This season, he's only playing 4.6 minutes per game and is averaging 2.1 points.

He's still on a rookie contract, a four-year deal worth $13.9MM that he signed in 2022. His option was declined, so come the offseason, he will be a free agent.

Were the Bucks Fleeced in this Trade?

When you take a look at who the Milwaukee Bucks traded and who they got in return, it looks like the Washington Wizards might've won this trade. Milwaukee is getting a player who hasn't seen a ton of playing time and a player who is putting up horrible numbers when they are on the court.

The Wizards were able to essentially swap out Kuzma's deal for Middleton's and were able to get a rookie that could have the potential to have a successful career once he's out of the G-League.

It'll be unfortunate not to have Khris Middleton in Milwaukee anymore, but we're wishing him the best of luck on his new adventure.