According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the Washington Wizards have traded Kyle Kuzma, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and second-round draft compensation to the Milwaukee Bucks for Khris Middleton, AJ Johnson, and a pick swap. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line noted that the deal was aided by a large vote of confidence from Giannis Antetokounmpo in Kuzma.
Washington begins their deadline with a massive sell, landing a three-time All-Star who is on the wrong side of the prime of his career. Meanwhile, the Bucks get a bit young in their attempt to put a championship-caliber roster around Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Here are the trade grades for both sides of the deal.
Wizards grade for Kyle Kuzma trade to Bucks for Khris Middleton
The meat of this trade is a win for the Bucks, but that’s not why the Wizards made the move. Right now, Kuzma is a better player than Middleton, if for no other reason than his ability to play consistently and for more than 25 minutes.
But the Wizards don’t want to be good right now. They want Cooper Flagg. And if that’s the goal, this is a solid trade.
Washington can sit back and hope that Middleton recoups his value moving forward while eating his salary. Eventually, they could look to trade him or buy him out, but for now, they have a solid veteran.
Getting AJ Johnson is a win. Though he wasn’t playing in Doc Rivers’ youth-less rotation, he is a solid prospect who was a first-round pick this past year.
He’s a very raw prospect, but the flashes he showed in the NBL last year and in Summer League are worth taking a flyer on, especially for a team like the Wizards.
This isn’t the perfect deal. The Wizards may have wanted a true first-round pick for Kuzma. But it’s not bad, either.
Grade: B
Bucks grade for Kyle Kuzma trade with Wizards for Khris Middleton
This is a good deal for the Bucks. Middleton, for as much as he’s done for the organization, just wasn’t giving them what they needed anymore.
Kuzma is a guy who can step in, play hard, hit some shots, and contribute to winning at a high level. Though he hasn’t been amazing this year, playing next to superstars like Antetokounmpo and Lillard is bound to increase his productivity and efficiency.
Losing Johnson is fairly irrelevant for the Bucks as they are looking to win now, and though taking on Baldwin Jr. isn’t ideal, they can simply decline his team option for next season.
The other sneaky good part about this trade for Milwaukee is that they are now under the second apron, as Bobby Marks of ESPN reported that Kuzma is reducing his trade bonus. This will give them much-needed extra flexibility to do more trades before the deadline.
Grade: A-