Milwaukee Bucks Make Bold Move: Trading Khris Middleton to Maximize Championship Window
In the world of professional basketball, few decisions are as challenging as trading a franchise cornerstone. For Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst, the recent trade of Khris Middleton, a player who has been synonymous with the Bucks’ success over the past decade, was described as “the hardest transaction” he has made as an executive. Yet, Horst made this difficult decision with a clear goal in mind: to “maximize the window” for a championship.
Speaking to reporters on Monday night, just before the Bucks’ 125-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors, Horst explained, “It’s still the awesome responsibility to try to take this franchise and maximize the window that we have now as best we can. What we think gives us the best chance to win, and figure out how to continue winning going forward. There’s a very narrow set of opportunities that we felt that we could do that, and this was one of them.”
The trade saw Milwaukee send Middleton, rookie guard AJ Johnson, and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards. In return, the Bucks acquired Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. (who was rerouted to San Antonio), and a second-round pick. Additionally, the Bucks secured center Jericho Sims from the New York Knicks as part of the deal.
Middleton, who holds the franchise record for 3-pointers, has been a pivotal figure for the Bucks since the 2013-14 season and was instrumental in their 2020-21 championship victory. However, this season has been challenging for him. After undergoing offseason surgery on both ankles, Middleton missed the first 21 games and has struggled to regain his form, averaging his fewest points (12.6) since his first season with the Bucks and playing his fewest minutes (23.2) since he was a rookie.
Despite these challenges, Horst emphasized that Middleton’s availability was not a significant factor in the decision to trade him. “Collectively, I think we’re deeper in the spots we needed to be deeper,” Horst said. “This gave us an opportunity to diversify a little bit, to kind of put money and talent and roster spots in other places where I thought we needed help.”
Building a More Well-Rounded Roster
While the Middleton-Kuzma exchange was the headline-grabbing aspect of the trade, Horst was quick to point out that the deal was not simply a comparison of the two players. Instead, it was an opportunity for the Bucks to build a more well-rounded roster. “This isn’t a Khris or a Kyle comparison, although that’s the easy thing to do,” Horst said. “It’s the team before the trade deadline and the team after the trade deadline, and to be determined with an open roster spot, that we felt like in totality we positioned ourselves to have a better run this year. That doesn’t do anything to diminish the three-time All-Star, Olympian, NBA champion, pillar in the community, everything that Khris Middleton was for this franchise for over a decade.”
In addition to acquiring Sims for more frontcourt depth, the Bucks also added guard Kevin Porter Jr. in a separate deal. With an open roster spot still available, the Bucks have the flexibility to be active in the buyout market for the remainder of the season.
Financial Flexibility and Future Prospects
As part of the trade, the Bucks managed to get below the second apron of the collective bargaining agreement, providing Milwaukee with more flexibility to improve its roster. Horst acknowledged this as an added benefit but clarified that it was not the primary motivation behind the trade. “We believe that this gives us a better chance to win this year,” he said. “It happens to also put us under the second apron, which gives us some benefits going forward. There’s no question. And we’ll hopefully maximize those benefits. But that wasn’t the intent.”
Even though Horst did not want to put all the focus on Kuzma, he still praised his skill set and versatility. Kuzma, 29, is averaging 15.0 points and 5.9 rebounds on 41.6% shooting. He has not been as efficient as Middleton, who was shooting a career-high 51% from the floor, but Horst said the Bucks valued Kuzma’s other skills as ways to elevate Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
- Kyle Kuzma’s ball movement and transition play are seen as key assets.
- Horst believes Kuzma is in his prime and can thrive in the Bucks’ system.
- The Bucks aim to play fast, with Kuzma complementing Giannis in transition.
“Kyle’s a great ball mover, his assist numbers and box score stats may not always show his impact, but he just passes to move the ball,” Horst said. “He’s up there with Giannis in terms of effectiveness and efficiency and frequency and transition. There’s a big gap between Giannis and the rest of our team and that statistic. … We’re at our best … playing fast. So another player that can get out and go with a ball. He still is a scorer, shooter that I think has upside. At 29 years old, I think we strongly believe that he’s in his prime.
“We can see better basketball from Kyle Kuzma than we have the last couple of years. We believe that, in our system, playing with these guys.”
Originally Written by: Jamal Collier
