The Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards have agreed to a trade that will send three-time All-Star forward Khris Middleton and rookie guard AJ Johnson to the Wizards in exchange for forwards Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin Jr., league sources said Wednesday.
The teams also exchanged draft capital.
Trading Middleton, one of the most storied players in Bucks history, is a massive move for the franchise, even if he has been limited this season. Middleton, 33, has played only 23 games this season and averaged 12.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 23.2 minutes per game as he continued to work his way back from offseason procedures on both ankles.
His place in Bucks’ history is undeniable. He was the team’s crunchtime operator and clutch shotmaker in the run to the 2020-21 NBA championship, the team’s first title since 1970-71. He spent the past 12 seasons with the Bucks and ranks first in franchise history in 3-point makes, third in points, third in assists and seventh in rebounds.
Kuzma, 29, has high-level playoff experience. He was a key role player in the Los Angeles Lakers’ run to the 2019-20 NBA championship. After his trade to Washington in 2021, he became one of the Wizards’ top options on offense and led the team in scoring last season with 22.2 points per game.
But this season, the rebuilding Wizards had diminished his role somewhat, emphasizing a system with multiple ballhandlers, including point guard Jordan Poole and second-year swingman Bilal Coulibaly. Injuries to Kuzma, including a rib-cartilage tear that kept him out almost one month, also limited his effectiveness. Moreover, he struggled to stomach the near-historic levels of losing this season by the Wizards, who are 8-41.
The 6-foot-9 Kuzma goes to a 26-22 team with an established pecking order, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard in the key roles. A league source told The Athletic that the Bucks did extensive research on Kuzma in recent days, and team officials believe he can help them play fast on offense and be more effective in transition.
The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
Johnson, 20, was the 23rd pick in last June’s draft. Although he has played sparingly for the Bucks this season, he has received extensive playing time for their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
A 6-foot-5 guard, he has the height and positional size that Wizards executives and coaches value, and fits the timeline of the team’s still-achingly-young core. That group includes 19-year-old big Alex Sarr and 19-year-old guard Bub Carrington, both taken in the first round of the 2024 draft, as well as 20-year-old wing Bilal Coulibaly, taken seventh in 2023, and 21-year-old forward Kyshawn George, the third first-round pick from Washington in last year’s draft.
Moving Middleton and Johnson in exchange for Kuzma and Baldwin cuts approximately $7.5 million off of the Bucks’ salary table and takes them under the second apron, which opens greater roster flexibility this season.
If Milwaukee wants to make more moves before Thursday’s trade deadline, it still will be prohibited from taking back more money than it sends out in any deal, but now can aggregate contracts in deals as long as the team doesn’t bring in a dollar more in salaries than it sends out.
The Wizards received a 2028 first-round pick swap from the Bucks. Because the Portland Trail Blazers have rights to Milwaukee’s selection in that draft, the Trail Blazers will receive the most favorable pick, the Wizards will get the second-most favorable pick and the Bucks will receive the third-most favorable. The Bucks received the second-most favorable of the Wizards’ collection of second-round draft picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
With Kuzma on the books for next season instead of Middleton, Milwaukee also created greater flexibility moving forward because Kuzma will earn roughly $12.5 million less than Middleton next season. Middleton holds a player option for the 2025-26 season worth $34.0 million, while Kuzma will receive $21.5 million guaranteed next season and $19.4 million guaranteed during the 2026-27 season.
Baldwin, 22, was born and raised in Wisconsin and attended Sussex High, a Milwaukee suburb, before playing one season for his father, Pat, at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
He’s in his third NBA season. At 6-9, he has more of a finesse game revolving offensively on stretching the floor. He played sparingly as a rookie with Golden State and spent the last two seasons in Washington.
In October, the Wizards declined their fourth-year team option on Baldwin for the 2025-26 season. Recently, he has played in some games for the Wizards’ G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, in an attempt to stay sharp.
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
Article by:Source:
