He gone? Giannis doesn't seem thrilled after Bucks trade NBA champion Khris Middleton

In unflattering fashion, the Milwaukee Bucks broke up the longtime duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, trading the latter to the Washington Wizards. While the front office did so to revamp the roster around the former, it seems he isn't delighted about the move, to say the least.

Speaking with the media about Middleton's departure during shootaround ahead of their upcoming clash with the Charlotte Hornets, Antetokounmpo was honest and palpably dispirited. While he acknowledged the nature of the NBA, the two-time MVP is upset after losing his partner in crime of the past dozen years.

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He gone? Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't seem thrilled after Bucks trade NBA champion Khris Middleton

"I’ve played with Khris [Middleton] for 12 years. I spent incredible moments with him," Antetokounmpo told reporters (h/t the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). "Obviously, I’m going to miss Khris. Everybody on the team’s going to miss Khris. His leadership. ... I’ve been around Khris more than I’ve been around my brothers and my family."

Then, Antetokounmpo proceeded to powerfully declare his "brotherhood" with Middleton "the most important thing [he's] had within this team for a lot of years." Despite reportedly being a "key element" and vouching for Milwaukee to acquire veteran forward Kyle Kuzma from Washington, the Bucks' organizational centerpiece isn't happy.

Antetokounmpo took to X (formerly known as Twitter) shortly after the deal was announced, presumably airing out his frustrations in a since-deleted post:

Albeit unclear what exactly Antetokounmpo is referencing or indicating, the timing of the tweet is noteworthy. Whatever it may be, something is ostensibly weighing on his mind. And considering this came briefly following the Middleton-Kuzma swap was revealed, you can't help but feel like there's a correlation between the two instances.

Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo isn't the only one sad to see struggling to cope with Middleton heading to the Wizards. Bucks fans have been soaking in the nostalgia on Reddit, reminiscing about the good times the franchise enjoyed when led by the once-tantalizing tandem. Farewells are never simple, though this split officially marks the end of an era in Milwaukee.