Khris Middleton is having a breakout year, and he is a huge reason for the Milwaukee Bucks' early-season success. Middleton is averaging 19.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists and is doing it with an efficient 42.4 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Middleton, a former second-rounder, was not always a sure thing. After only playing in 27 games during his rookie season for the Detroit Pistons, he was traded to the Bucks. But Detroit didn't want to part ways with the swingman.
“The Pistons did not want to include Khris in that deal,” said Magic GM John Hammond to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, who was with the Bucks at the time. “A lot of people considered him a throw-in in that deal, but Joe (Dumars) did not want to give him up. We knew what Khris had done at Texas A&M before he got hurt, so there was potential. Detroit did not want to give him up, but in the end they had to in order to make the deal work.”
Detroit is probably kicking itself for trading away Middleton in a package that brought back Brandon Jennings. At the time, many thought Middleton was a throw-in — even Middleton thought so.
“My first reaction when I was traded was, am I going to be cut? Am I going to make it?” he said to Deveney. “If you are a second-round pick and you get traded, you are kind of in limbo that way. You are starting over. … I talked to Joe Dumars after it happened and John Hammond when I got to Milwaukee. Both were saying that I wasn’t a throw-in there.
“John Hammond told me they were starting over and they were just looking for players who could play. They were rebuilding, and he wanted to see if I could fit and earn a job.”
Hammond isn't with Milwaukee anymore, but they're still reaping the benefits of the deal he helped put together. Middleton is a great fit in Milwaukee, and it's safe to say he earned a job.
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