After months of speculation, the Milwaukee Bucks have finally traded away longtime star Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards in a deal that sends Kyle Kuzma to “America’s Dairyland.”
THE RUNDOWN
It’s a deal that has many Buck’s fans scratching their heads and wondering if there is an even bigger move to be made, considering how big of a piece Middleton was to their 2021 championship run. While this trade gives Milwaukee a younger star who has fallen out from his peak this season, it also frees the Bucks to make another move to push for a more mobile backup big man.
After a lot of handwringing and circle pacing, the Milwaukee Bucks fanbase finally got a trade they had sought after for months, but was it everything they wanted? According to Shams Charania, the official details of the trade are as follows:
Milwaukee Receives: Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and a 2025 second-round pick.
Washington Receives: Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a 2028 pick swap (least favorable between MKE and POR).
This trade not only lands them a solid pick in the next draft but also gives the Bucks a little youth and a little wiggle room with the cap. With Khris Middleton making nearly $32 million and then $34 million the season after, Milwaukee desperately needed to get off of Middleton’s contract while they could to avoid cap penalties. But it wasn’t all about the money, the Bucks front office truly believes that Kuzma could be the missing piece to help propel their offense forward.
ANALYSIS
Jon Horst and the rest of his front office staff reportedly did “extensive research” on Kyle Kuzma before pulling the trigger on the trade with Washington. With Milwaukee starting the season with one of the worst transition offenses and defenses in the league, the team knew it needed to get younger to be able to compete for another championship this season.
According to Eric Nehm, Milwaukee thinks that the former NBA champion can help push the pace on offense but also help on the defensive side of the transition game. However, his inconsistency is what puts a lot of Milwaukee fans in a tizzy when thinking about the trade. This season the 6’9 forward had a pretty steep drop off in points per game, as well as efficiency, from the last couple of seasons. Dropping from being a 22-point-per-game scorer to 15 is quite the fall in a season, but it makes sense when you dig deeper. He had much more freedom in Washington last season, while this season, the team has pivoted more toward the youth movement.
In that big trade, the Bucks also get a familiar face back in a swap for their rookie. Patrick Baldwin Jr., another forward who hails from Sussex, Wisconsin, will join Kyle Kuzma in Milwaukee. The 6’9 guard/forward Baldwin played in the 2021-22 season for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers before being drafted by the Warriors with the 28th pick in the 2022 draft. Averaging decent stats in college but never getting a foothold to climb, the 22-year-old old who is now in his third season in the league, hopes to flesh out his career in his home state.
Giving up Khris Middleton was not an easy choice, but while Buck’s fans might not believe it, this does indeed make the team better. Even with Kuzma shooting career lows in field goal percent and from three, the transition spacing, defensive consistency, and shooting ability will fit well in Milwaukee’s offense. This season has seen Washington pivot from force-feeding Kuzma and Poole to pushing to build up their rookie’s confidence. This led to Kuzma having to be in a role that he hadn’t been in for years, which, of course, will always come with growing pains. But with Milwaukee, he will have a chance to reprise and grow that role, and the same goes for Patrick Baldwin Jr., who just hasn’t been given many minutes outside of the G-League on either of the teams he’s been on. It’s a new start for the two as they look to make history in the Cream City.
UPCOMING
Milwaukee could see Kyle Kuzma in his new threads as soon as this weekend, depending on his availability. The Bucks will be taking on the Hawks in Atlanta on Friday before heading back home to face the 76ers on Sunday.
I don’t expect Kuzma to be playing in that Friday game as the Bucks are currently on a road trip, facing off against the Charlotte Hornets tonight before traveling to Atlanta. It would make more sense to have him walk out onto the floor at the Fiserv Forum and would help give him a few days to not only get acclimated to the team but to Milwaukee as well.
With the team currently on a four-game losing streak, the Bucks could use any spark to push them through this lull. Kuzma should be that player to help push the Bucks over the top, or at least Jon Horst believes him to be. But with only days left until the deadline, there is a chance that Milwaukee could make another move with the salary of Pat Connaughton still on the table. As well as a pick that could be flipped from this trade with Washington and now that they are under the second-apron, the Bucks have much more wiggle room in terms of moving contracts. So don’t get too wound up over this move, there’s still a chance that Jon Horst has something else cooking in the kitchen.
