The Milwaukee Bucks need playmaking at the wing. That much has been apparent all season. Well, maybe it's not as popular a notion as it was last summer, but swapping Kyle Kuzma and RJ Barrett could be a worthwhile gamble to fix that. While at this point it may simply be too late, The Athletic's Eric Nehm (subscription required) posited a mock trade that the Bucks would be remiss not to at least consider.
Bucks snag playmaking where they need it most
Before the season, Barrett was a popular subject of mock trades involving Kuzma and the Bucks. Though the premise had since gone largely quiet, it's worth revisiting in midseason context. It's become clear that Milwaukee needs playmaking, but not at the expense of wing size. The above transaction would engineer an upgrade without oversacrificing in that regard.
Barrett would benefit the Bucks mainly via volume, an improved outside shot, and as a shot creator for teammates. On the season, the 6-foot-6 Duke product is averaging 19.6 points, five rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 49.6 percent shooting. At over five attempts per night, Barrett is converting 35.5 percent from beyond the arc, right in line with his three-year average.
By comparison, Kuzma is averaging 12.5 points, 4.5 boards, and 2.1 assists in roughly similar minutes. That's on shooting splits of 49.5/31.4/75.0, ticking down from an efficient start to the year.
One hole in Barrett's game is his free-throw rate, which at 68.9 percent is pretty much where it has been throughout his career. Kuzma is having one of his better seasons at the line. The result is that, despite superior range for Barrett, the two of them boast little separation in true shooting percentage. Barrett sits at 58.7 percent. Kuzma is at 57.8.
It's not that the Bucks would be getting a paragon of efficiency, though Barrett is having one of his two best seasons from the field. Again, the main, critical difference is his ability to produce at a higher volume, something the offense desperately needs with Giannis off the floor. Whereas Kuzma is inconsistent, Barrett has failed to clip double figures only once in 23 games this season.
Even on a competitive team, Barrett's usage rate hovers at over 25 percent, nearly five percentage points above Kuzma. He's also demonstrated the ability to create for others, averaging 4.7 assists in 113 career games for Toronto.
For those concerned, it's not quite a comparable situation to Kuzma's in Washington, where he inflated his numbers as a top option on a tanking team. The Raptors have been bad in recent years, but not nearly at the Wizards' level. So far this season, they sit fourth in the East at 27-19. There would be no reason to expect a significant drop off in the case of a trade to Milwaukee.
That's not to say there would not be drawbacks in the deal. The Bucks would lose a little defensively. Barrett has typically been recognized as a subpar defender throughout his career. For all his shortcomings, however, Barrett would provide a natural upgrade in size and strength over AJ Green as a bigger wing defender. Immediate size issues have forced the Bucks to abandon the small ball lineup they trotted out to begin the year.
As far as contracts go, Barrett and Kuzma are an exact match with two years remaining on their respective deals. The Bucks would take on a bit more money in the maneuver. Barrett makes $29.6 million next season to Kuzma's $20.3, but the ever-rising salary cap would mitigate the increase. From the Raptors' side of things, the move would get them below the luxury tax and breathing room below the first apron.
The most salient sacrifice, of course, is the pick swap. In Tankathon's 2026 draft projections, Toronto would pick 20th. The Bucks would be ninth. That's not an insignificant difference, but neither is the gap between Kuzma and Barrett. The biggest risk would be in the event that bottom falls out of Milwaukee's season, giving them better odds at a top four pick.
That concern isn't as relevant as it seems. First, adding Barrett for Kuzma would, to some appreciable degree, improve the Bucks' chances at winning games. And two, the Atlanta Hawks own the better of the Bucks' and Pelicans' selections. Current owners of the league's worst record, New Orleans is unlikely to leapfrog Milwaukee in the standings. Still, if the Bucks collapse and things get close, the Pelicans will be extremely motivated to pass them down the stretch, securing better odds of keeping their pick in the lottery.
And that's the other thing. Say the Bucks kept ahead of the Pelicans but were "blessed" by the lottery gods with a higher selection. That blessing now becomes a curse as the Hawks scoop up Milwaukee's pick.
Nehm's proposal comes with a few caveats, to be sure, but it shakes out as a win for the Bucks. If Jon Horst pulls it off, give him a B-plus. Hopefully it's not too late.
BTBP Grade: B+