With the NBA trade deadline having come and gone, the Milwaukee Bucks have some new faces and have said goodbye to a long-time and beloved team member.
In the biggest move for the team at the deadline, the Bucks shipped Khris Middleton and AJ Johnson to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin Jr., who played at collegiately at UWM and at Hamilton High School in Sussex, where after his junior year he was named Wisconsin Player of the Year. The teams also swapped draft picks. Baldwin would get traded again before the deadline, ruining plans for a Milwaukee homecoming.
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But the focal point of the trade for Bucks fans is the departure of the 33-year-old Middleton, which marks the end of era for the team. Drafted by the Pistons with the ninth pick of the second round in the 2012 NBA draft, Middleton played one season in Detroit before being traded to the Bucks as a throw-in player in a deal that brought Brandon Knight to Milwaukee for Brandon Jennings.
The player who would go on to have the nickname “Khash Money” for his shooting prowess, Middleton was in his 12th season with the Bucks. The same season Middleton arrived in Milwaukee by trade, the Bucks drafted a skinny kid from Greece, a relative unknown named Giannis Antetokounmpo, with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft.
The Bucks compiled a record of 15-67 the first year Middleton and Antetokounmpo played together, the worst record in franchise history. Seven seasons later, the pair would lead the Bucks on a remarkable run to the NBA title, just the second in the franchise’s history and the first in 50 years.
Antetokounmpo was named Finals MVP, but the Bucks wouldn’t have won the title if it weren’t for the heroics of Middleton, who carried the team with Antetokounmpo sidelined for a few games with injury during the playoff run. Following the trade, Antetokounmpo posted on social media photos of Middleton celebrating the championship, referring to his now former teammate as “My GOAT.”
“For me, my brotherhood with Khris is the most important thing I’ve had within this team for a lot of years,” Antetokounmpo said in another social media post.
A three-time All-Star, Middleton struggled with injuries the past few seasons and missed substantial time at the start of this season after having off-season surgery on both ankles. He played in only 33 games in the 2022-23 season and just 55 games last season.
Even though he saw reduced playing time in recent years due to lingering injuries, the loss of Middleton still stings for dedicated Bucks fans. And to see Middleton traded to the Wizards, the NBA’s worst team, seems like a painfully unfair move involving a player who has meant so much to the Bucks franchise and is almost certain to have his jersey hanging from the rafters at Fiserv Forum someday.
But the sports world isn’t about fairness when it comes to trades and the Bucks are banking on Kuzma to be a spark for the team as the team looks to a strong finish to the season and a quest for another title. Kuzma said he was “super ecstatic” to join the Bucks, where he believes the team can compete for a championship.
The Bucks were active on the trade market, beyond the Middleton deal. On Wednesday, Milwaukee acquired New York Knicks backup center Jericho Sims for Delon Wright, touted as a key off-season signing but who fell out of the rotation.
Milwaukee and the Clippers made a trade ahead of the deadline on Thursday, sending forward MarJon Beauchamp to Los Angeles in exchange for guard-forward Kevin Porter Jr.
Of particular note is who the Bucks didn’t trade. Although rumored in a number of deals, rugged forward and fan favorite Bobby Portis remains in a Bucks uniform. This means fans will still have the chance to loudly chant “Bobby! Bobby! Bobby!” when Portis sparks the team with his hustle and aggressive play as they have for so many seasons now.
Also remaining with the Bucks is popular center Brook Lopez, who also has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate.
Lopez is in his 17th season in the NBA and seventh in Milwaukee. Approaching his 37th birthday, Lopez is one of the league’s oldest players but remains a starter and key contributor on this Bucks’ team and most fans are seemingly relieved that he remains in a Milwaukee uniform.
Whether the trades will boost the Bucks on-court performance down the stretch remains to be seen. As of Friday, the Bucks hold down the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 27-22 record, 13 games in back of the conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Bucks will be searching for some playoff magic after stunning first-round exits in each of the past two seasons.
The recent playoff woes and the poor stretches of play this season, combined with the departure of Middleton, have some pundits speculating that Antetokounmpo’s days in Milwaukee could be numbered.
In October 2023, the “Greek Freak” agreed to a three-year, $186 million contract extension with the Bucks with a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Antetokounmpo has repeatedly voiced his commitment to the Bucks and Milwaukee but has also been vocal that he wants the team to do whatever it takes to contend for another NBA title, or multiple crowns. Prior to last season, the Bucks landed sharp-shooting guard Damian Lillard to join Antetokounmpo. The two seemed to struggle to connect last season but they’ve performed well together this season, for the most part.
