Kyle Kuzma (right) and Khris Middleton are trading places in a reported swap.
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The Milwaukee Bucks have made a reported deal ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Per multiple reports, the Bucks are dealing former All-Star forward Khris Middleton to the Washington Wizards for forward Kyle Kuzma. The Wizards are also sending forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to Milwaukee while the Bucks are trading guard AJ Johnson to the Wizards.
The Wizards also will receive a 2028 first-round swap from Milwaukee while the Bucks will get a 2025 second-round pick. To round out the deal, Milwaukee sends Delon Wright and an undisclosed cash sum to New York for fourth-year center Jericho Sims.
Sources: Milwaukee gets under the second apron with this move. Patrick Baldwin Jr. also going to Milwaukee and rookie AJ Johnson is headed to Washington. The Wizards will receive 2028 first round soft swap and Bucks get a second round most favorable in 2025. https://t.co/QMEZcb3NcA
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) February 5, 2025
Breaking: The Milwaukee Bucks are trading Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and second-round draft compensation, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/hCOzqqqUXE
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 5, 2025
Bucks receive
- Kyle Kuzma
- Patrick Baldwin Jr.
- Jericho Sims
- 2025 second-round pick
Wizards receive
- Khris Middleton
- AJ Johnson
- 2028 first-round pick swap
Knicks receive
- Delon Wright
- Cash considerations
The 33-year-old Middleton, who has struggled with injuries, leaves the Bucks after spending all but one of his 13 NBA seasons in Milwaukee. The three-time All-Star has been limited to 23 games this season, 16 of those coming off the bench, but was shooting a career-best 51% in those appearances.
The move gives the Bucks some financial flexibility in that it gets them below the second apron — meaning, in the short term, some other trade options may be available to them before the deadline. Being over the second apron had limited the moves the Bucks could make as they tried to upgrade an aging roster.
Kuzma has seen his scoring take a dip this season after he posted back-to-back campaigns with at least 21 ppg from 2022-24. He’s averaging 15.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 2.5 apg while shooting 42% overall and 28.1% on 3-pointers. However, the 29-year-old is a couple of years younger than Middleton (33) and will slide into a Milwaukee frontcourt alongside All-Star and former Kia MVP winner Giannis Antetokounmpo.
This season, Middleton is averaging 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 51.2% overall and 40.7% on 3-pointers. A key part of the Bucks’ championship team in 2021, Middleton has been slowed by injuries since that run and is posting his lowest scoring average since the 2014-15 season.
Middleton helped the United States win gold at the Tokyo Games later that year and was someone that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has raved about for years.
“It’s definitely a plus having Khris back,” Antetokounmpo said earlier this season when Middleton was available again following ankle issues. “Man, he takes us to the next level with his IQ, decision-making, shot ability, defense.”
Middleton owns the Bucks franchise record for career 3-pointers with 1,382. He had 12,586 points with Milwaukee to rank as the franchise’s third-leading scorer, behind Antetokounmpo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He ranks second in team history in games played (735) and minutes played (23,039) — behind Antetokounmpo — and third in assists (2,990).
Middleton had 24 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game during the 2021 NBA Finals as the Bucks beat Phoenix in six games. He averaged 20.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists in 80 career playoff games with Milwaukee. He earned All-Star Game selections in 2019, 2020 and 2022.
But injuries limited him over the last few seasons.
He was unavailable for the Bucks’ seven-game loss to Boston in the 2022 Eastern Conference semifinals and played in just 33 games in 2022-23 and 55 in 2023-24. Middleton didn’t make his 2024-25 debut until Dec. 6 as he recovered from offseason surgery to each of his ankles. He went scoreless in two games in late January.
Washington opened the season hoping to be more competitive with Kuzma, Jordan Poole and new center Jonas Valančiūnas along with No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr in the mix, too. However, the Wizards are an NBA-worst 8-41 and recently ended a 16-game losing streak when they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 30.
Last season, Kuzma already turned down a reported potential trade to Dallas to remain in Washington. He re-signed with the Wizards in the summer of 2023, inking a reported four-year, $102 million deal.
The Brooklyn Nets selected Kuzma with the No. 27 pick in the 2017 Draft, but he was traded to the Lakers on Draft night. He became a significant part of the Lakers’ young roster both before and during LeBron James’ arrival.
After enjoying mostly a starting role in his second season, Kuzma then handled a bench reserve in his third and fourth seasons because of Anthony Davis’ presence. The Lakers dealt Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to the Wizards in a five-team deal in 2021 that landed Russell Westbrook in L.A.
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, who went to high school in the Milwaukee area and played his lone college season at Milwaukee, was the 28th overall pick in the 2022 Draft. The 22-year-old forward averaged 2.1 points and 4.6 minutes in 22 games this season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
