The Milwaukee Bucks parted ways with longtime member of the team, Khris Middleton, before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Middleton, who had been in Milwaukee for over a decade, was placed in a diminished role off the bench as a result of lingering tendinitis. In return, the Bucks received Kyle Kuzma, but they strangely cut ties with 2024 first-round pick AJ Johnson too.
Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports chimed in on the Bucks’ seeming overpay, “I hope they’re not going to lean too much on Kyle Kuzma…He has been below average in shot efficiency…he barely gets to the free-throw line. He is a bucket-getter, and he may average 20 points per game, but he does it while requiring 20 shots a game. This guy is an inefficient volume shooter. In my opinion, he’s not a great add for this championship-chasing team.”
Haberstroh’s co-host Dan Devine, who is a senior NBA writer at Yahoo Sports, replied, “The idea is Kuzma back in a winning, meaningful context could play a more significant role like he did as a rotation player on that Lakers team in the bubble. And, if he’s a big, sturdy wing that you feel comfortable moving from the three to the four, it maybe opens up more opportunities for you to play Giannis at the five which has often been one of the best lineups that Milwaukee can get to.”
Devine explained the longshot several-leg parlay that needs to happen for Kuzma to maximize his effectiveness alongside Antetokounmpo and Lillard,
“What that will require is not only Kyle Kuzma to be better than he’s been in five years, it needs him to be the best version of himself as an offensive player while accepting that smaller role, while also being willing to do a lot of defensive dirty work…consider me skeptical about it,” Devine said.
This season in Washington, Kuzma averaged 15.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 27.7 minutes. The 29-year old appeared in 32 games and shot career lows from the field, on free throws, from three, and on twos. The Bucks seemingly bought low on Kuzma, but overpaid based on past production.
If he is unable to recapture his form from playing a major role on the Los Angeles Lakers most recent championship team, then the Bucks and their fans would most likely be disappointed in this move. However, it may be unfair to judge a player’s performance on such a hopeless Wizards team who have won nine of their first 50 games this season.
MORE BUCKS NEWS: Bucks given harsh assessment for how they fared during NBA trade deadline
