The Milwaukee Bucks have made numerous blockbuster trades in recent years, a significant factor in their pursuit of a championship in 2021. The Jrue Holiday trade was a significant one, and one that will go down in Bucks history as one of the smarter moves they’ve ever made.
They then made another one involving Holiday and sent him to the Portland Trail Blazers, before he was eventually sent to the Boston Celtics.
The Bucks acquired Damian Lillard from the Trail Blazers, but it didn’t go as planned. They also moved on from Khris Middleton during the last trade deadline in a deal for Kyle Kuzma, a questionable decision for the Bucks, despite the injuries Middleton has faced throughout his career.
However, prior to that, the Bucks had an interest in trading for another star in the form of Jimmy Butler. That deal would’ve involved Middleton, but according to former Bucks fan favorite John Henson, Giannis Antetokounmpo shut down those trade talks.
MORE: Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo trade pitch swaps four players and three picks from Bulls
“I know for a fact that Giannis, when he was younger, they would call him about trades and ask him, ‘Do you want this guy or that guy?’ and he was like ‘I don’t wanna listen, do your job,'” Henson said.
“There was a trade…Khris Middleton for Jimmy Butler swap – Giannis was like ‘nah we’re not doing that’ – that was only time I ever saw him stand up and say something,” Henson added.”
It has been reported in the past that Antetokounmpo shut down this trade, but it’s interesting to hear it from Henson.
Butler on the Bucks would’ve been an intriguing fit, but it’s tough to say that it would’ve been the right trade. Milwaukee ultimately won a championship, and Middleton was a big reason why.
