Last season, before the trade deadline, the Milwaukee Bucks sent Khris Middleton to the Wizards in a deal for Kyle Kuzma. Here we are, less than a year later, and Middleton could be on the move once again before the Feb. 5 buzzer sounds.
Washington is in rebuild mode, sitting in last place in the East with a 4-20 record, the league's worst. With the trade deadline about a month and a half away, the team will try to move off Middleton's $33.3 million expiring contract. The same goes for veteran CJ McCollum, who is making $30.7 million. The Wizards are all-in on having a top pick in a stacked 2026 lottery draft class.
Outside of the veteran leadership that Middleton (and McCollum) provide, there is no real reason to keep him on the roster. As valuable as it is to have a proven champion like Middleton in an otherwise young locker room, he (obviously) isn't part of their future. It helps that Washington is in a position to take back long-term money in a trade, too, as the team is projected to have $80 million in cap space this summer.
Wizards will try to trade Khris Middleton before the deadline
Middleton has missed Washington's past three games with a right knee contusion. He will miss the Wizards' contest against the Spurs on Thursday. It's still unclear when he'll return, but if the injury lingers, it will, obviously, affect his already low trade value.
The 34-year-old forward has played 16 games this season (all starts), averaging 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 25.8 minutes per game, shooting 49.3% from the field and 35% from three. Those numbers don't match his salary, but Washington will try to find a suitor before considering a contract buyout.
In a perfect world, Middleton would've stayed in Milwaukee, helping Giannis Antetokounmpo and the team win a second title. The Bucks felt they needed to go in a different direction by trading for the younger Kuzma, a deal that hasn't moved the needle the way the front office hoped. That isn't to say that trading Middleton was the wrong decision, as, unfortunately for his sake, his health is an issue.
Hopefully, whatever happens between the Wizards and Middleton over the next few weeks will work in his favor. Bucks fans are still cheering him on from afar, and no matter where he goes, he will always be welcome in Milwaukee.