The Milwaukee Bucks are making a notable roster change by primarily trading one of their longest-tenured players, Khris Middleton, to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma. In this trade, the Bucks lose Middleton’s floor spacing, but they get younger and add a scoring wing with championship experience.
It’s fair to say that this is a risky deal, given the Bucks’ title aspirations and the experiences Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo have shared over the past decade as teammates. After the trade became official, Jake Fischer reported Antetokounmpo’s role in the deal.
Why Else the Bucks Would Trade Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma
“I’m told a key element of the trade talks that brought Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee in exchange for championship mainstay Khris Middleton: a large vote of support for Kuzma from one Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Fischer wrote.
This comes with the territory of having a player as good as Antetokounmpo on the roster. Milwaukee clearly wants to build the best team around him while also wanting to keep him happy. If he hadn’t signed off on the deal, it’s possible Middleton would still be around.
Whether or not this is a good trade remains to be seen, but it feels as though Antetokounmpo at least saw the front office’s vision. It remains to be seen if they’re proven right.
There’s also more to this trade than swapping Middleton for Kuzma.
The Bucks are still a playoff team this season, but they aren’t close to the top of the conference, so it makes sense that they would do a shakeup like this. Furthermore, it would make sense for Milwaukee to ask for Antetokounmpo’s permission before doing so.
There’s another benefit to making this kind of deal. Many will debate who the better player is between Middleton and Kuzma. However, this trade also gets Milwaukee under the NBA’s second tax apron, which means they can now aggregate contracts.
The Bucks don’t have many draft assets to offer, but they could look to see what upgrades they could get in return for the likes of Bobby Portis and Pat Connaughton. If they get one, this trade should be considered not necessarily getting Kuzma for Middleton but improving the rotation when it’s all said and done.
Still, Milwaukee first has to get a player who fits that description, and they have an entire day to figure this out. At least the Bucks got this trade done now instead of tomorrow, where they would only have hours, perhaps even minutes, to figure out their next move.
