Sources – Bucks trade Khris Middleton to Wizards for Kyle Kuzma
The Bucks have traded Khris Middleton to the Wizards in a deal that sends Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The Bucks also sent rookie guard AJ Johnson and a pick swap to Washington, which dealt forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation to Milwaukee, sources told Charania.
Middleton, 33, spent the last 11-plus seasons in Milwaukee and was a key member of the Bucks’ championship team in 2021. He is averaging just 12.6 points per game this season — his lowest average since 2013-14 — as he continues his recovery from offseason surgery to both ankles.
Middleton once was one of Milwaukee’s leading players alongside franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, but injuries have derailed his last few seasons. The surgeries to his ankles this past offseason delayed his season debut until December, and he has appeared in 23 games since, starting in seven.
Middleton rose from G League player to NBA All-Star on the strength of his ability to play well off of Antetokounmpo. The three-time All-Star averaged over 20 points four times in a five-year stretch that began with the 2017-18 season and ran through the 2021-22 campaign. He co-starred with Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday to lead Milwaukee to its first NBA title in 50 years with a six-game Finals victory over the Phoenix Suns to cap the 2020-21, post-bubble season.
Knee injuries slowed Middleton as he hyperextended his knee during the 2021-22 regular season, before suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee during the playoffs. He missed the start of the following season while recovering from offseason wrist surgery then missed an additional 18 straight games during the year with knee soreness.
Middleton is owed $31.7 million this season and has a player option for next year worth $34 million.
Kuzma, 29, is averaging 15.2 points per game this season, his fourth with the Wizards. He signed a four-year, $102 million deal with Washington in July 2023, a contract that came after he averaged 21.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in 64 games.
Kuzma said in February 2024 that Washington had a deal in place for him to be traded to the Dallas Mavericks, but that he told them he preferred to stay with the Wizards. He is making $23.5 million this season, but his salary drops to $21.4 million next season, followed by $19.4 million in the final year of his deal.
Source: espn.com