With over 24 hours left until the NBA trade deadline, we have our first big trade from a top-six team in the East. On Wednesday morning, the No. 5 Bucks (6.5 games back from the No. 3 New York Knicks) traded Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a pick swap to the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin, and a second-round pick.
Milwaukee has had an interesting season that started with a 1-7 record. The Bucks eventually began to find their stride (Dame and Giannis look way more comfortable together), but they've been inconsistent and are currently riding a four-game losing streak.
The front office opted to shake up the roster and trade Middleton, a Bucks legend who helped them win the 2021 title, for Kuzma, who won a championship with the Lakers in 2020. Kuzma spent the past three-and-a-half seasons in D.C. with the Wizards, who haven't come close to securing a playoff berth.
Kuzma is now on a team that would be in the postseason if the season ended today. However, contrary to what Milwaukee believes, he won't vault the Bucks up the standings.
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Kuzma's role in D.C. dipped this season as the Wizards prioritized younger players like Bilal Coulibaly. His production was also down. Kuzma averaged 15.2 points (his lowest since he was in LA), 5.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 27.7 minutes per game. He shot career lows from the field (42%) and three (28.1%).
After recovering from double ankle surgeries, Middleton played only 23 games for the Bucks this season. His final game in a Milwaukee uniform was a 20-point performance against Memphis on Sunday. The forward is 33 years old, but it's still hard to justify trading him for 29-year-old Kuzma.
Several of the Bucks' decisions over the past few years have backfired, and this trade could do just that. Milwaukee's defense took a major hit when it traded Jrue Holiday to Portland for Lillard, and the former was flipped to Boston, where he won a championship.
The Athletic reported that the Bucks traded for Kuzma (subscription required) because they believe he will "help them play fast on offense" and "be more effective in transition." NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that Milwaukee got a "large vote of support" for Kuzma from Giannis. The Bucks are about to find out a thing or two about Kuzma.
New York can't overlook Milwaukee, even with Kuzma, but it's always fun to see conference rivals make trades that don't improve the roster.
