On Wednesday, the Milwaukee Bucks made a massive trade by letting go of their long-time forward and champion, Khris Middleton.
It was a move that was deemed possible as we approached the trade deadline, and the Bucks decided to pull the trigger.
Middleton was a Buck for over a decade, so it is never easy to lose a player like that.
Just hours after the trade was announced, the Bucks reporters, including Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentential, spoke to Giannis Antetokounmpo and shared his thoughts on his long-time teammate’s departure.
“Obviously, I’ve played with Khris for 12 years. I spent incredible moments with him. At the end of the day, things like this, from what they’ve told us, you don’t know if it’s going to go through, so at the end of the day, until it’s official, Khris is like still our teammate. But if the trade goes through, obviously I’m going to miss Khris. Everybody on the team’s going to miss Khris. His leadership. For me, my brotherhood with Khris is the most important thing I’ve had within this team for a lot of years. We’re the oldest guys. Not the oldest guys, but been here together for 12 years. There’s been so many moments together. I’ve been around Khris more than I’ve been around my brothers and my family. I’ve had incredible moments on the court with him. We’re definitely; everybody’s gonna miss him.”
Middleton was traded to the Wizards along with rookie guard AJ Johnson in exchange for forwards Kyle Kuzma and Patrick Baldwin Jr.
The trade wasn’t quite as shocking as Middleton’s time in Milwaukee was winding down.
The Bucks decided to let go of their long-time forward. This comes after Middleton was limited this season, averaging 12.6 points per game, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 23.3 minutes.
The 33-year-old will always have his own place in Bucks lore. Middleton was the team’s crunchtime operator and played an essential role in the team’s 2020-21 championship season, the team’s first title since 1970-71.
While the loss will sting, Kuzma is the younger and better player at this time.
The Bucks get an upgrade at the frontcourt spot, as Kuzma should play an essential role for a team with title aspirations.
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