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As Kyle Kuzma and Khris Middleton were traded for one another, Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst saw a different vision. Although some see the vision of Middleton's age, that wasn't what the general manager thought. It was quite the opposite. He explained to reporters via ESPN before Monday's game about why the move took place.
“Collectively, I think we're deeper in the spots we needed to be deeper,” Horst said. “This gave us an opportunity to diversify a little bit, to kind of put money and talent and roster spots in other places where I thought we needed help.”
“This isn't a Khris or a Kyle comparison, although that's the easy thing to do,” Horst said. “It's the team before the trade deadline and the team after the trade deadline, and to be determined with an open roster spot, that we felt like in totality we positioned ourselves to have a better run this year.
“That doesn't do anything to diminish the three-time All-Star, Olympian, NBA champion, pillar in the community, everything that Khris Middleton was for this franchise for over a decade.”
One of the difficult parts of the NBA, or all of sports, is trading away a franchise player. Middleton helped the Bucks win the 2021 NBA Finals. He was the perfect wingman, next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. His two-way play established himself as an elite player. Middleton's game isn't the flashiest, but he was exceptionally skilled and a matchup nightmare.
The Bucks' Kyle Kuzma and Khris Middleton trade has more to it
Again, the trade wasn't fully about swapping players. It was also about financial matters. The Bucks were in the second tax apron, meaning they couldn't make a variety of moves. Their draft pick in seven years would be frozen, they couldn't combine salaries in a trade, among other things.
The trade gave them some flexibility in that regard. After Kuzma has been on a struggling Washington team, he gets a fresh start. On the flip side, the Wizards plan to hold onto Middleton. Either way, However, Horst still holds Kuzma in high regard.
“He's up there with Giannis in terms of effectiveness and efficiency and frequency and transition. There's a big gap between Giannis and the rest of our team and that statistic. … We're at our best … playing fast. So another player that can get out and go with a ball. He still is a scorer, a shooter that I think has upside. At 29 years old, I think we strongly believe that he's in his prime.
At the end of the day, Kuzma's scoring will be a nice fit alongside the Bucks roster. Now, it's a matter of how well he'll gel with the two stars.