NBA Fans Question Kyle Kuzma's Fit with Bucks After Reported Khris Middleton Trade

The Milwaukee Bucks needed to do something amid an uneven start to the 2024-25 NBA season, but fans aren't convinced acquiring Kyle Kuzma is the cure that ails the 2021 champions.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Milwaukee is sending forward Khris Middleton, guard A.J. Johnson and a pick swap to the Washington Wizards for Kuzma, forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. and a second-round pick.

While Middleton is having one of his worst year in a Bucks uniform, many are raising the question of whether Kuzma was the right piece to target:

It sounds a bit reductive, but Kuzma hasn't been a winning player in a high-usage role. He has made the playoffs twice in his career and both came when he was a reserve for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 29-year-old put up solid numbers with the Wizards, averaging 19.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Washington was consistently a lottery team with him as one of its top scoring options, though.

Acquiring Kuzma right now is also a little surprising because he's shooting a career-worst 28.1 percent from beyond the arc to go along with what has consistently been his negligible impact on defense.

Maybe the 6'9" forward can thrive on a team that's significantly better than the Wizards and one on which he'll have Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard to occupy the defense's attention.

Still, this is a pretty big gamble for the Bucks given how much they have riding on this season.

Milwaukee knows full well that Antetokounmpo's patience isn't infinite and the fact he's signed through 2026-27 at a minimum is mostly irrelevant as it relates to his long-term future.

Should the Bucks suffer another early playoff exit, the rumblings about Giannis could grow to a fever pitch.

Swapping Middleton for Kuzma doesn't make Milwaukee that much worse, but it might not make the team that much better, either.