The Milwaukee Bucks community expected to end this week wrestling with the the end of Khris Middleton’s time in cream and green. In the weeks preceding the trade deadline, Middleton was transitioned to a bench role where he showed some promise before the wheels fell off again last week in a pair of scoreless performances.
On Wednesday morning they traded Middleton, AJ Jackson, and a 2028 pick swap to Washington in exchange for Kyle Kuzma.
Khris Middleton
Middleton deserves to receive his flowers. Although Middleton began his career in Detroit, he was one of only five players who’d remained with the same franchise since the 2014-15 season. In the annals of Bucks franchise history, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Giannis are the kings, but Middleton belongs on Mt. Rushmore alongside Oscar Robertson.
He’s a more workman-like star than the trio he’s alongside. However, in the playoffs, Middleton had a preternatural ability to raise his game for big moments. None were bigger than the 2021 NBA postseason when he knocked down clutch shots at a frequent rate. All in all, Middleton decamps from Milwaukee ranked second in games played, third in points, third in assists, first in 3-pointers, and first in sweat equity. No one perspires as much as Middleton.
In addition to dumping Middleton, Milwaukee also traded rookie AJ Johnson. Johnson’s contributions this season amounted to a rounding error on the scoreboard. However, losing Johnson, who was a reach in the first round, is the latest indictment on the Bucks organization’s drafting efficacy over the last half-decade. The Bucks drafted Donte DiVincenzo, but haven’t even reaped the reward of his breakout. They let Malcolm Brogdon walk after his rookie deal concluded. Andre Jackson Jr. is the only homegrown player since 2018 to become a consistent member of their rotation.
Kyle Kuzma impact
Kuzma was not exactly the return Bucks fans hoped they’d receive. From a superficial perspective, Kuzma is a perplexing addition. Spending the last 3.5 seasons in Washington has turned him into a frivolous player known more for his pre-game fits than the young, precocious wing who won a ring in the bubble with L.A. as their third-leading scorer. He’s currently slumping with career lows, shooting 28 percent from 3 and 60 percent at the charity stripe.
In Milwaukee, he’ll no longer be the focal point of the offense, and more specifically defenses. The potential upside is that the Bucks are getting a third option who is a dependable, but not a great perimeter defender with size who can defend both forward spots. It also gets them below the second tax apron, allowing Horst to potentially stack Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, or Brook Lopez’s salaries in exchange for a significant big on the trade market.
According to cap expert Yossi Gozlan, the Bucks are expected to save $29 million in luxury tax. Dumping Middleton and A.J. Johnson’s $33 million salary in exchange for Kuzma’s saved the Bucks a little over $10 million. Simply put, Milwaukee may not be done.
At his best, Kuzma isn’t the caliber of playmaker as Middleton, however, that’s not what the Bucks needed in their rotation alongside Antetokounmpo, Andre Jackson, and Damian Lillard. Kuzma is there to get buckets. However, if any additional movement is being made, it will likely involve an upgrade to Bobby Portis or Brook Lopez. As part of the deal, it was announced on Friday evening that the Knicks were trading Jericho Sims to the Milwaukee Bucks while Delon Wright was shipped to New York. However, Sims is a little-used rotation player who averaged 11 minutes per game in a frontcourt which lost Isaiah Hartenstein to free agency and endured Mitchell Robinson’s absence due to injury.
Frontcourt trade deadline options
Backup Trail Blazers center, Robert Williams has spent much of the season on the bench, but the last time he started a full season, he was the anchor for a Boston Celtics’ defense that advanced to the 2022 NBA Finals and fell a game short of reaching the Finals again in 2023. However, Williams would interfere with the spacing alongside Antetokounmpo, who has been a tank getting buckets at the rim.
Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas was taken off the board after being traded to Sacramento. Larry Nance Jr. is a miniature small-ball center, but every team could use a switchable four who can defend more versatile bigs. Nance is averaging 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.1 steals off the bench for a Hawks team that is sliding off a cliff and playing the final year on a two-year, $21.58 million contract. He can also stretch the floor and drain triples at an efficient clip.
The Brooklyn Nets'' 23-year-old center Day'Ron Sharpe is a powerful, physical rim-running threat, with uncanny passing ability, who can also operate out of the high post and is currently averaging 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. Sharpe is also showing promise in developing his range as a stretch-five. However, it’s unclear if the Bucks could make an offer that appeases Brooklyn.
The clock is ticking not just on the trade deadline, but on this iteration of the Bucks.