The Washington Wizards traded forward Kyle Kuzma to the Milwaukee Bucks for forward Khris Middleton, two people with direct knowledge of the deal told USA TODAY Sports.
They requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly until the trade was announced by the teams.
Milwaukee will also send AJ Johnson and a 2028 first-round pick swap to Washington and receive Patrick Baldwin Jr. and a second-round pick from the Wizards.
Milwaukee has sought to improve the roster and had been linked to other perimeter players such as Zach LaVine – and the franchise was torn about trading Middleton, who was a vital part of the team’s 2021 championship team.
With Kuzma off the market, this trade probably derails any potential deal involving the Miami Heat and Phoenix Suns, who were trying to engage Washington in a deal that would help facilitate getting suspended Jimmy Butler from the Heat to the Suns. Phoenix’s Bradley Beal, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, had contemplated waiving his no-trade clause for a return to the Wizards where he spent the first 11 seasons of his career.
Grading the Bucks-Wizards Kuzma-Middleton trade
Milwaukee Bucks: B-
The Bucks are 26-22 and in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, jumbled in a mix with Indiana, Detroit, Miami and Orlando. They felt compelled to make a move in an effort to make a run at a top-four seed – they are 1½ games behind fourth-place Indiana and 6½ games behind third-place New York and two games ahead of Detroit and Miami.
It was a gut-wrenching move for the Bucks, who struggled with the idea of trading Middleton, a staple of the team’s success alongside star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Middleton joined the Bucks in 2013-14, his second season in the league.
It isn’t a slam-dunk deal. Kuzma, 29, has been an inefficient scorer this season, averaging 15.2 points on 42% shooting from the field and 28.1% on 3-pointers. He can create for himself and will get better offensive opportunities. Kuzma has younger legs, is a solid rebounder (5.8 per game this season) and the Bucks will need him to be a steady, competent defender. He is under contract through 2026-27 and his annual salary decreases from $21.4 million in 2025-26 to $19.4 million in 2026-27. Kuzma won a title in 2020 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Washington Wizards: B
Washington acquired a solid veteran who can help guide the team’s younger players in a rebuild for the rest of this season and possibly in 2025-26. Middleton is in the second year of a three-year, $93 million deal, but has a player option on next season allowing him to become a free agent in the summer if he chooses.
This season, Middleton, 33, averages 12.6 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds and shoots 51.2% from the field and 40.7% on 3-pointers. He is a proven veteran – three-time All-Star – with championship experience.
The Wizards also get two young players. Johnson, 20, is a rookie who was the No. 23 pick in the first round of the 2024 draft, putting four first-round picks from 2024 on the Wizards’ roster. Baldwin, 22, was the No. 28 pick in the first round of the 2022 draft. Washington will give both a chance to see if they are part of the franchise’s future. This also opens up more playing time for Washington’s bigger forwards.
The slight drawback for the Wizards: they possibly could’ve returned more for Kuzma last year when he was coming off a 22.2 points per game season with better shooting efficiency.
(This story was updated with additional information.)
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
