Khris Middleton Sends Clear Message on Bucks Trade

The pain of being traded away from the team you spent over a decade with likely cannot be washed away with one win in the early months of the regular season.

But it doesn't hurt.

Former three-time All-Star Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton got that taste of satisfaction Monday night, leading the Washington Wizards to a 129-126 win over Milwaukee with 15 points, four rebounds and six assists.

It was Middleton who scored back-to-back Buckets in the final 90 seconds of the fourth quarter to re-claim the Wizards' lead for good, a fitting ending to a game that clearly meant a lot to the longtime member of the Bucks.

Middleton, who was traded in the middle of the 2024-25 season in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, opened up about what it was like to be sent away from a team on which he grew into a three-time All-Star and an NBA champion.

"When you get traded, it's a huge confidence killer, especially if you're not in control of it. You have to kinda talk yourself back up," Middleton told Jake Fischer of The Stein Line. "They don't want you anymore."

After health issues had gotten in the way of the performance, Middleton knew that his time in Milwaukee might be coming to an end.

"You can see the writing onthe wall," Middleton said. "I have to be real with myself. I wasn't as healthy as I wanted to be ... missed a lot of games when they needed me to be out there. You're also hoping they still give you a chance, [that] they still stick with you."

While the trade stung — and reports coming out that Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo called Kuzma before the deal was finalized didn't help — Middleton has found peace with the disappointment that occurred that day in February 2024.

'He's the Franchise Guy'

"As far as Giannis calling him, I mean, he's the franchise guy over there," Middleton said. "He has to get a feel for a guy that he's gonna play next to ... that they're gonna trade me for. I would do the same thing. We have a way stronger, deeper relationship for me to be petty over something like that."

The Wizards won't face off against the Bucks until Jan. 29. By then, Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee will hope to see improvement after losing eight of their last nine contests — including their most recent slip-up against Middleton's 3-16 Wizards.