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Bucks Veteran Immediately on Thin Ice After Khris Middleton Trade

By Cem Yolbulan

Dec 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Dec 20, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton (22) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert (3) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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With Thursday's NBA trade deadline fast approaching, the Milwaukee Bucks made a big move on Wednesday, sending Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma. They also sent rookie AJ Johnson and a first-round pick swap and received Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

This is a baffling trade for the Bucks. Middleton obviously has injury concerns and is not the same player he once was. At the same time, Kuzma has been an utter disaster for the Wizards this season, shooting 42% from the field and 28.1% from three while playing questionable defense and demonstrating lackluster effort on the worst team in the league.

Giving up a fan favorite and a franchise icon like Middleton for Kuzma is one thing, but the Bucks also gave away 2024 first-round pick Johnson, and a pick swap in the process. This clearly financially motivated move brings the Bucks under the second apron before the trade deadline. This gives them additional flexibility before the deadline, meaning that more moves are likely incoming. This portends a potential trade of another Bucks veteran.

Bucks Are Likely Not Done Trading After Khris Middleton Move

With the addition of Kuzma, the Bucks now have a crowded frontcourt rotation. While he can play small forward, his best position is the four. This makes Bobby Portis redundant in the rotation.

Kuzma and Portis are somewhat similar players. While Portis is a tougher force with big-man qualities and Kuzma has more perimeter skills, they are both offense-first power forwards with defensive deficiencies. Considering how difficult it will be to find minutes for both players next to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, it's safe to say that Portis is now officially a trade candidate.

Now that the Bucks are below the second apron, they can aggregate salaries or take back more salary than they send out in a trade. This opens up more avenues to upgrade the roster in the next 24 hours. Portis' $12.5 million salary for this season is an excellent trade chip for Milwaukee to use to balance out the roster.

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