In 2013, the Detroit Pistons traded Khris Middleton to the Milwaukee Bucks, and he quickly became a key player on a title contender.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was undoubtedly the star during the Milwaukee Bucks’ run to the NBA Finals in 2021, but on any given night, the title of next-best player was up for grabs.
Brook Lopez anchored the defense and spaced the floor. Jrue Holiday made life hard for opposing point guards and facilitated, and Khris Middleton managed to do a little bit of everything, excelling in the midrange.
In 2020, Holiday was traded to the Bucks. Two years prior, Lopez signed as a free agent, and in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Bucks landed their superstar in Antetokounmpo. That same year, Middleton was discarded by the team that drafted him and went on to find a role in Milwaukee.
Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesHow Bucks built a title team with Giannis Antetokounmpo
On July 31, 2013, the Milwaukee Bucks traded Brandon Jennings to the Detroit Pistons for Middleton, Brandon Knight, and Viacheslav Kravtsov. At the time, Knight was the best player heading to the Bucks, although he would later be flipped for Michael Carter-Williams.
Neither Carter-Williams nor Knight made much of an impact in Milwaukee, although Middleton would go on to make three All-Star Games and would average 24 points per game in the 2021 Finals.
Middleton was picked 39th overall by the Pistons in 2012, and in his first season with the Bucks, doubled his scoring. He quickly became a full-time starter and eventually became the second star in Milwaukee, helping guide the Bucks to their first title in 50 years.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesDetroit Pistons’ trade return left a lot to be desired
When the deal was made, the Pistons actually got the best player back in the deal. Brandon Jennings had averaged 17 points and 5.7 assists in his first four seasons in the league, although he struggled to produce in Detroit.
The Pistons missed the playoffs in both of Jennings’ full seasons. Granted, Andre Drummond was young and the team had limited shooting, but Jennings simply failed to fit in. In 2016, he was traded to the Orlando Magic for Tobias Harris, and Harris would later be flipped in the deal that brought Blake Griffin to the Motor City.
There is a case to be made that Middleton never would have blossomed in Detroit, as Drummond, the team’s centerpiece, was never a true two-way force like Giannis became.
Between Antetokounmpo and Middleton, the Bucks build their success on the backs of overlooked stars, and their model of success is yet to be truly replicated.