From a basketball perspective, the Milwaukee Bucks are making an iffy decision by swapping Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma.
Bucks’ Blockbuster Trade Another Iffy Decision
Middleton looks like he’s in a physical decline, which is among the reasons he’s averaging 12.6 points per game, his lowest scoring average since 2013-14.
However, his technical expertise has allowed him to remain highly efficient, as he’s shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three. On top of that, the adrenaline boost he gets in the postseason often elevates his game. Even last season he was able to go from scoring 15.1 points per game in the regular season to 24.7 points per game in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
The South Carolinian isn’t the player who was putting up 19.9 points per game, as he did from 2017-18 to 2021-22. Still, if Milwaukee was going to replace him, it should’ve been for a more masterful scorer.
That isn’t to say that Kuzma isn’t capable of raining in buckets. Indeed, he averaged 20.2 points per game from 2021-22 to 2023-24. Nonetheless, he has two seasons shooting under 44 percent from the field and five seasons shooting under 34 percent from three. In 2024-25, he’s been averaging 15.2 points per game while shooting 42.0 percent from the floor and 28.1 percent from downtown.
Perhaps playing in a diminished role has impacted his numbers this season. Yet, it doesn’t mean his Bucks tenure will work out better. He’s not going to put up many, if any, more shots behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard than with Bilal Coulibaly and Jordan Poole. In fact, as he’s never played alongside two ball-dominant All-Stars, he’ll be a stranger in a strange land. Even more complicated is the fact that Antetokounmpo and Lillard just figured out their chemistry about a month ago.
Milwaukee’s major general’s may not see their touches decreasing by much but Kuzma will demand more than Middleton. On the one hand, this could help preserve Antetokounmpo and Lillard up to and through the playoffs. Once again an MVP candidate, Antetokounmpo has done a lot of heavy lifting to get Milwaukee back on their feet. Still, given how rocky the Bucks’ road has been since trading for Lillard, trading for Kuzma is an obvious risk.
Bound To Come Off Bench
If thinking about the starting lineup, Kuzma simply isn’t the optimal replacement for Middleton, on- or off-ball. It’s worth mentioning the 29-year-old moves well off-ball, especially on cuts. However, he’s a mediocre three-point threat. Thus, defenses will be more comfortable crowding the paint than they were with Middleton on board. The problem with that is Antetokounmpo, their No. 1 option, is at his best attacking the rim.
Thus, it becomes more likely that Kuzma comes off the bench, while Taurean Prince continues to start. This likelihood is increased by the fact that Kuzma is unreliable defensively. Playing alongside disciplined or dominant defenders like Antetokounmpo, Prince, Brook Lopez, and Andre Jackson Jr. could bring out the best in him at that end. The fact that he’s on a team with a legitimate shot at winning a ring might motivate him as well.
For now though, the jury is out on whether that’s more fact or fiction.
If Not Him, Then Who?
Ideally, the Bucks would’ve tried to trade Kuzma for a player like Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins, Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant, or Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter. Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal and Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler would’ve been better on paper as well. Wiggins, Grant, Hunter, and Beal are all better shooters and on-ball defenders than Kuzma. Butler isn’t known as a long-distance sniper, though he’s been on target the past two seasons. He’s simply multiple tiers above Kuzma as a defender and has proven himself capable of leading a team to the NBA Finals.
In Milwaukee’s defense, perhaps they tried and were unable to accomplish any of those deals. Their attempt to acquire Zach LaVine, who the Chicago Bulls recently traded to the Sacramento Kings, definitely fell through. Thus, the ‘K’ in Kuzma probably stands for konsolation prize.
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