Khris Middleton deserves kudos for his self-awareness

A little over a year after trading Jrue Holiday, the Bucks moved Khris Middleton, the other key piece of their 2021 championship-winning team. Many blamed the franchise for not showing enough loyalty to two players who helped them hang a banner after 50 years.

Middleton himself doesn't view it in that light.

In a recent interview, the three-time All-Star suggested he was on borrowed time with the Bucks and the franchise was perfectly justified in trading for the younger Kyle Kuzma.

"My time ran out. Simple as that," the 33-year-old told The Athletic's Eric Nehm. "I mean, I could say my time could have ran out a long time ago. They held onto me, believed in the potential, believed in the work that they saw. But I think this time, it was just, we think a different route is better for our team going forward. And I can't do nothing but respect that."

Middleton shows tremendous self-awareness with his comments. As he alluded to, the Bucks were patient with the many injuries he endured for the better part of the last 24 months. After he tore his MCL in the 2022 playoffs, he played 33 games in 2022-23 and 55 in 2023-24 while seeing a huge dip in his production. He missed the early chunk of the season and appeared in 23 games before the trade, averaging his fewest points (12.6) since his sophomore season in 2013-14.  

All in all, Middleton missed 121 regular-season games over the last three seasons. At some point, the Bucks had to do what was right for their franchise. It's unfair to question their lack of loyalty. 

Middleton made his Wizards debut Saturday, scoring 12 points in a 104-101 loss to his former team. He could potentially be bought out by the Wizards, who, with the worst record in the league (9-47), seem determined to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes.