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Milwaukee Bucks trade Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson to Washington for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
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- Milwaukee Bucks trade Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson to Washington for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr.
This story has been updated with new information.
CHARLOTTE − The Milwaukee Bucks traded three-time all-star and the franchise's third all-time leading scorer Khris Middleton in a deal that landed them forward Kyle Kuzma and former Sussex Hamilton High School and UW-Milwaukee player Patrick Baldwin Jr. from the Washington Wizards , per a league source familiar with the deal.
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The USA TODAY NETWORK confirmed the teams also included future draft picks, with the Wizards getting a first-round pick swap in 2028 and the Bucks getting a 2025 second-round pick.
Middleton, a core piece of the Bucks' 2020-21 championship team , and rookie AJ Johnson were sent to Washington.
"Obviously, I've played with Khris for 12 years," Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said of the reported trade at the team's shootaround before the game in Charlotte on Wednesday night. "I spent incredible moments with him. At the end of the day, things like this, from what they've told us, you don't know if it's going to go through, so at the end of the day, until it's official, Khris is like still our teammate.
"But if the trade goes through, obviously I'm going to miss Khris. Everybody on the team's going to miss Khris. His leadership. For me, my brotherhood with Khris is the most important thing I've had within this team for a lot of years. We're the oldest guys. Not the oldest guys, but been here together for 12 years.
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"There's been so many moments together. I've been around Khris more than I've been around my brothers and my family. I've had incredible moments on the court with him. We're definitely; everybody's gonna miss him."
Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton turns the corner on Toronto Raptors guard Jamal Shead.
Who did the Bucks trade?
The Bucks have now totally reshaped the team that won the that title by moving on from the 33-year-old Middleton, who had re-signed in 2023 for $102 million over three seasons as an unrestricted free agent.
Middleton has a $34 million player option for next season, with bonuses that could make the deal worth $36.5 million.
Middleton, one of the all-time great players in Bucks history, played into his 12th season with the club after he was originally acquired via a trade with the Detroit Pistons on July 31, 2013. Brandon Jennings was sent to the Pistons and Brandon Knight came with Middleton as the headliners of the trade.
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Originally a second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M in 2012, Middleton developed into a 20-point-per-game scorer while making all-star teams in 2019, 2020 and 2022 as the Bucks built around his near-unstoppable two-man game with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He was also part of the 2020 U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal in Tokyo alongside former Bucks teammates Jrue Holiday and Damian Lillard .
Who did the Bucks acquire in trade?
Kyle Kuzma ,who will be 30 in July, is in his eighth season since being picked No. 27 by Brooklyn in the 2017 draft. He was immediately traded – along with Brook Lopez – to the Los Angeles Lakers and spent four years there and was a key reserve on the team's 2019-20 championship team in the "bubble."
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The 6-foot, 9-inch forward appeared in 27 total playoff games with the Lakers, averaging 9.1 points on 28.3% three-point shooting.
In 276 games (146 starts) with Los Angeles , Kuzma averaged 15.2 points per game on 44.8% shooting overall and 33.8% shooting from behind the three-point line.
He was dealt to Washington in 2021 as part of a five-team trade and signed a 4-year, $102 million extension in 2023.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. of the Washington Wizards dunks the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the second half at Capital One Arena on Oct. 26, 2024, in Washington, DC.
The contract declines in value, however, after this season as he's owed $21.5 million next year and $19.4 million in 2026-27.
Kuzma averaged 21.2 points in the 2022-23 season and 22.2 points per game last year but has slumped badly this season in shooting just 28.1% from behind the three-point line and 42% overall in averaging 15.5 points per game.
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Patrick Baldwin Jr. went to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and was drafted by Golden State before being traded to the Wizards.
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery and new information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks trade Khris Middleton to Washington for Kyle Kuzma
