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The Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards reportedly agreed to a major trade Wednesday involving wings Khris Middleton and Kyle Kuzma.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Bucks are sending Middleton, AJ Johnson and a pick swap to the Wizards for Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and a second-round pick.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks provided a breakdown of the salaries of all four players involved in the deal:
Marks added that the trade allowed the Bucks to drop below the second salary cap apron, while the Wizards have the option to swap first-round picks with the Bucks in 2028.
Following Wednesday’s trade, the Bucks’ roster is as follows:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (F)
Per Spotrac, the Bucks now have $199.2 million in total salary cap allocations, putting them $1.3 million below the second apron and $9.4 million over the first apron.
After swapping Kuzma for Middleton, this is the current breakdown of Washington’s roster:
According to Spotrac, the Wizards have $209.4 million in cap allocations, but they are $15.1 million under the second apron and $4.3 million under the first apron.
The 29-year-old Kuzma has averaged 15.2 points on 42.0 percent shooting (28.1 percent from three), 5.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in 2024-25. He’s played just 32 games (27.7 MPG) due to a right groin strain that sidelined him for a week-and-a-half and a left rib sprain that kept him out for a month.
It’s been a disappointing season for Kuzma, but he also averaged a career-high 22.2 PPG the year prior. He’s certainly capable of better and more productive play, and a change of scenery could help him here.
As for the Wizards, they have engineered a complete teardown in recent years, dealing Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns and Kristaps Porziņģis to the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2023. However, they re-signed Kuzma to a four-year, $90 million contract in 2023.
Kuzma was the star of a downtrodden 15-67 team that finished with the NBA’s second-worst record. Washington has continued its downward spiral this year, going 8-41, bad enough for the league’s worst record.
The 6’9″ forward is in his ninth NBA season. He played four years with the Los Angeles Lakers before they traded him to Washington in a deal that notably brought Russell Westbrook to L.A.
Kuzma has mostly thrived on a personal level with Washington, emerging as a 20-point-per-game scorer for the Wizards. Trade rumors have persisted over time, though, and now a new chapter has begun for the former University of Utah star, who heads to Milwaukee in hopes of continuing his prime.
There were rumblings connecting the Bucks to Kuzma on Tuesday, per David Aldridge and Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
Milwaukee needs some help to rise to the Eastern Conference’s upper echelon, which consists of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics at the moment. Enter Kuzma, who will do all he can here to help the Bucks ascend after the trade deadline.
As for Middleton, his 12-year run in Milwaukee ends in disappointment, as he will now join a team that is clearly in the midst of a rebuild.
However, Middleton can rest assured knowing he achieved enormous success with the Bucks in the form of three All-Star selections and an NBA championship.
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