Wizards Trade Kyle Kuzma to the Bucks in Exchange for Khris Middleton

Breaking: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hCOzqqqUXE

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2025

With NBA rumors continuing to focus on what will potentially happen with other trade targets like Jimmy Butler and Kevin Durant and continuing to put a spotlight on the De’Aaron Fox trade to the Spurs, Milwaukee was able to sneak up on everybody and pull off a trade that is focussed on helping them become a more significant threat in an already overly competitive Eastern Conference.

Will Kuzma fit in alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Milwaukee’s top stars?

New Big 3 in Milwaukee pic.twitter.com/9wAvC4iknb

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 5, 2025

First though, let’s talk about Milwaukee’s side of the deal.

Did the Bucks Do Middleton Dirty?

Upon finding out Milwaukee was trading for Kuzma, my first thought automatically went to, so, who are the Bucks giving up? A second later, when I read that Khris Middleton, one of Milwaukee’s most important players in franchise history, was being shipped out to Washington, aka the NBA’s version of no man’s land, I couldn’t help but feel a bit mad for Khash Money.

Bucks just traded Khris Middleton to a rebuilding team after he gave his all to the organization.Its no loyalty from players or Organizations no more

— 💫 (@FaceofSports) February 5, 2025

Something needs to be made abundantly clear here. Yes, Giannis is the face of the team and the leading force behind the Bucks becoming a title-winning force to be reckoned with, but he couldn’t have done it without Middleton.

When you think of Milwaukee Bucks stats, Middleton’s numbers speak volumes of his tenure in Brew City.

Khris Middleton as a Milwaukee Buck🦌 :

– Averaged 17/5/4
– All-Time 3-Pointers Made leader
– 3rd All-Time leading scorer
– 3x NBA All-Star
– 2021 NBA Champion

Thank you for everything Khash Money🥲💚 pic.twitter.com/NGPGaAqWVB

— Bucks Muse (@BucksMuse) February 5, 2025

Did he deserve to be bumped out of the team this way? If the idea was to ship the veteran away, couldn’t they find him a better landing spot than Washington? Milwaukee’s epic 2021 title run, in which they became instant NBA picks and predictions juggernauts, ran through Middleton’s handles and Antetokounmpo’s power.

The most underappreciated player in Milwaukee Bucks history.

Top 3 greatest Buck ever.

The Robin to Giannis’ Batman.

Thank you for everything @Khris22m.

No Buck will ever wear 22 again.

Khris Middleton Is Good. Forever. pic.twitter.com/C9bY7IPl1d

— Nathan Marzion (@nathanmarzion) February 5, 2025

Not cool on Milwaukee’s part; seriously not cool.

Will Kuzma Help Push the Bucks to Title Contention?

The biggest question mark following Kuzma’s move to the Bucks now is, can this help the Bucks land back in NBA finals contention talks?

I know there are still a lot of games to be played before starting to think about true playoff and title favorites and their betting odds. But with all signs pointing to Milwaukee making this move, hoping that Kuzma can come in and automatically make this team faster and more explosive, I’m not entirely sold on that idea.

Kyle Kuzma makes the Bucks better, but they’re not contenders like the Cavs, Celtics or Knicks 😳

“It’s somewhat of a lateral move, but Khris Middleton’s best basketball is behind him and Kyle Kuzma can fill that hole.” – @ChandlerParsons

📺 https://t.co/iH8kMk1F4q pic.twitter.com/a4qRQHFfqw

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) February 5, 2025

To me, Kuzma comes off as a good player for a bad team.

How so?

Just look at the team he was with before joining Milwaukee. I have a better chance to win at least a couple of NBA games right now by finding a few people with nothing better to do in the streets than Washington.

Kuzma was considered the Wizards’ star not because of how much work he put in but because he played at a decent level in a really bad team.

Some wizardry from Kuz right here 🪄 pic.twitter.com/ouJC5YG2iP

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) January 30, 2025

Now, in Milwaukee, not only does he get a chance to prove he can be a functioning, who knows, even pivotal piece of a contender, but he gets a chance to prove all critics wrong, me included.

Regarding the playoffs, Milwaukee was already a contender before landing Kuzma and letting Middleton leave. It’s onward and upward from now on.