The Milwaukee Bucks are trading NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards and bringing Kyle Kuzma back in return, a person with knowledge of the deal.
The trade also involves A.J. Johnson moving from the Bucks to the Wizards and Patrick Baldwin going from the Wizards to the Bucks, along with a future pick swap and some second-round draft picks, according to the person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity as the trade still needs league approval.
The deal, first reported by ESPN, comes one day before the Thursday 3 p.m. Eastern trade deadline.
Middleton, 33, has had injury problems and leaves the Bucks after spending all but one of his 13 NBA seasons in Milwaukee. The three-time All-Star has played only 23 games this season, 16 of which were off the bench, but he was shooting a career-high 51% in those games.
Middleton helped the Bucks win the NBA title in 2021 and played for Team USA to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics later that year. He has been praised by Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for years.
“It’s definitely a plus having Khris back,” Antetokounmpo said earlier this season when Middleton returned after ankle issues. “Man, he takes us to the next level with his IQ, decision-making, shot ability, defense.”
Kuzma, 29, will be joining his third team, having played four years with the Los Angeles Lakers and parts of four years with the Wizards. He has averaged 17.2 points per game for his career, including 15.2 points per game this season.
The trade gives the Bucks some financial flexibility by getting them below the second apron, which might allow them more trade options before the deadline.
Being over the second apron had limited the Bucks’ ability to make moves as they worked to improve their aging roster. The Bucks (26-22) are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference after being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the last two seasons.
In the trade, they sent away a player whose No. 22 jersey might one day hang in the Fiserv Forum rafters.
Middleton holds the franchise record for career 3-pointers with 1,382. He scored 12,586 points for Milwaukee, ranking him third in team history, behind Antetokounmpo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He is second in team history in games played (735) and minutes played (23,039), behind Antetokounmpo, and third in assists (2,990).
Middleton averaged 24 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game during the 2021 NBA Finals when the Bucks defeated Phoenix in six games. He has averaged 20.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 80 career playoff games with Milwaukee. Middleton was selected to the All-Star Game in 2019, 2020, and 2022.
However, injuries have limited his play in recent seasons.
He missed the Bucks’ seven-game loss to Boston in the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals and played just 33 games in 2022-23 and 55 games in 2023-24. Middleton didn’t make his 2024-25 debut until December 6 as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery. He went scoreless in two games in late January.
Kuzma has also struggled this season, shooting 42% from the field, 28.1% on 3-point attempts, and 60.2% on free throws, all career lows. However, he scored 31 and 22 points in his last two games.
The Bucks selected Johnson with the 23rd overall pick in the 2024 draft. The 20-year-old guard averaged 2.9 points in seven games with Milwaukee.
Baldwin, a 22-year-old forward who went to high school in the Milwaukee area and played one season of college basketball at Milwaukee, was the 28th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He averaged 2.1 points and 4.6 minutes in 22 games this season.
